COVINGTON, Ga. — Covington’s mayor and airport director were chosen for board positions for statewide associations and authorities recently.

• The Georgia Airports Association recently elected Covington Airport director John King to its board of directors, according to the city’s Facebook page.

The association represents the interests of 104 publicly-owned airports in the Georgia Statewide Aviation System, of which 95 are General Aviation facilities that serve only private and corporate aviation, and 49 airports have less than 20 based aircraft. 

It serves as a voice for the smallest airports that do not rank high enough in the FAA’s priority system to receive federal funds and must rely partly on state and local funding for operations.

King has served as airport director since 2017 and also serves as city street department manager. 

King started his career as a firefighter and began working as a ground operations technician with the airport in 2009.

He earned a Master of Science degree in management from Troy University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in aviation from Utah Valley University.

• Gov. Brian Kemp named Covington Mayor Steve Horton to the board of directors of the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

The Georgia Emergency Communications Authority, created in 2018, is governed by a 15-member board of directors appointed by the governor that is comprised of state, local, and private sector leaders dedicated to improving 911 and emergency communications in Georgia. The board meets quarterly, according to the state of Georgia website.

Horton, who was elected mayor in November 2019, has been a Newton County resident for more than 45 years. 

Before retiring in 2019, he worked for 36 years for the city of Covington where he held various positions, including patrolman, chief of police, safety risk manager, public works director, deputy city manager, and city manager.

He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Mercer University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Troy University.