Coweta County Board of Education Chairman Asa Mitchell Powell, Jr., has died.

Powell, 53, was elected to the Coweta County Board of Education in July, 2004, and was elected Chairman of the Board of Education in January, 2005.  He was a Mercer and Harvard-educated attorney, the Coweta County Board of Commission Attorney and a partner at Glover and Davis, P.A., in Newnan Georgia.

Funeral services will be held Monday, November 20, 2 p.m., at Central Baptist Church, with visitation following in the church fellowship hall.

The family respectfully requests that flowers not be sent and memorial contributions be made in his honor, to NCARC/Rutledge, 61 Hospital Road, Newnan, or C.O.R.R.A.L., 52 Oliver Potts Road, Newnan, 30263, or to Central Baptist Church, P.O. Box 1221, Newnan, 30264.

Powell passed away early Friday morning, November 17, after an extended illness. Born June 2, 1953, he was a native of Newnan, Georgia, the son of Asa Mitchell Powell, Sr. and Grace Powell, and husband of Anne Quinn Powell.

“He will be missed,” said Coweta County Superintendent Blake Bass.  “He was an outstanding board member.  It is very unusual for a first-term board member to be elected chairman… in his first year in office.  I attribute that to his persona – he was a strong, decisive leader.”

Powell grew up in Newnan, attending Atkinson Elementary and Elm Street Elementary.  He graduated from Newnan High School, where he was active in the drama club and lettered in four sports, including football, basketball, wrestling and track.

Bass, also a Newnan native, knew Powell most of his life, and played football with him at Newnan High School.  Anne Powell often referred to the pair as her right and left tackles.

“Mitch Powell was a tremendous leader for the Coweta County Board of Education, and was a driving force behind the great changes that have taken place the past two years in our school system,” said Board member Frank Farmer.  “Coweta County is a better place today because of the leadership and efforts of Mitch Powell.  We have all lost a great board member, citizen and public servant.  I have lost a friend I have looked up to since I was a small child, and I will miss him dearly.”

“Nobody loved Coweta County more than Mitch Powell,” said school board Vice-Chair Smith Pass.  “He was such a good man.  He took care of all of Coweta County, and he will be missed by all of its citizens.”

“Mitch was not only an exemplary board member, but as fine a person as I’ve come across in a long time,” said fellow board member Mike Sumner.  Sumner said he has known Powell for several years, not just as a board member but as a fellow attorney, fellow church member at Central Baptist Church, and as a neighbor.  “He will be sorely missed on the board and in the community.”

“Mitch was one of the finest people ever to work for Coweta County,” said Coweta County Administrator Theron Gay.  “He was honest and fair, and always had the best interest of the county, and citizens, at heart.  He had a calming effect on often highly emotional issues we face.  He was a great man, a tremendous asset to our community and a friend.  He will be missed by all.”

During his service on the school board, Powell was able to fulfill the pledges that he made during his campaign.

“He ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility and insisted that all school employees were treated fairly and supported,” said Bass. “He fulfilled his promises.”

When the school system continued to suffer from steep austerity cuts in state funding, Powell worked with fellow board members to make cuts to the budget and see it through a difficult financial period.

Despite budgeting into reserves, the school system never had to resort to reserve spending during that period.  Despite cuts, the board avoided cuts in personnel that plagued several Georgia school systems.

Powell campaigned on, and implemented, a new policy to establish a sick-leave bank that would allow employees to donate accumulated sick-leave to colleagues in need of additional days.  Powell also insisted that local employees always be given an opportunity to be considered for new school system job openings.

Powell also recognized a desire among his district constituents that Ruth Hill Elementary School be preserved and refurbished, to keep the school in its current location and remain viable in the community.

Powell spearheaded a push to fund an expansion and total refurbishment of the school, which was accomplished during the summer of 2006.  As Chairman, Powell presided over the re-dedication of the new Ruth Hill School, as well as the dedications of the new Welch Elementary and Lee Middle Schools.

“Ruth Hill is a showcase school for what the system can do for our older buildings,” said Bass.

“He was the consummate professional, and a good man,” said school board member Steve Bedrosian.

“Mitch will be sadly missed, as a friend and as a board chairman,” said board member Brian Roy.  “He led the board with vision and confidence, as he did so much else in life.”

“Mitch Powell was a great friend.  He cared about everyone in this community,” said board-member-elect Harry Mullins.  “Coweta County lost a great citizen.”

“Mitch was always at his best when he was serving other people, which was most of the time, whether as county attorney or school board chair, or just helping a neighbor with groceries. That was just Mitch.” said Coweta County Commission Chairman Greg Tarbutton. “Not only will he be missed, but Coweta County will be far poorer without his presence to help guide us.”

Powell earned his Bachelors degree, cum laude, from Shorter University in 1975, earned his Juris Doctorate from Mercer University in 1978, and earned a Masters from Harvard University in 1987.

Among many honors and distinguished positions in the community, Powell was the city attorney of Peachtree City 1980-86, the city attorney of Newnan 1983-86, Municipal Court Judge for Peachtree City 1992-2003, Heard County Attorney 1987-2000, and Coweta County Attorney from 1988 until the present.  Among other community endeavors, he was a strong supporter of C.O.R.R.A.L..