About Cindy
Cindy J. Mills is a lifelong resident of Forsyth County whose roots trace back seven generations and is a proud Christian, Conservative Republican. Cindy is a graduate of Forsyth County High School and attended North Georgia College, now the University of North Georgia.
Cindy is the mother of two children, Megan Mills Bottoms, who is married to Nathan Bottoms, the eldest son of Reverend Dennis and Sandra Bottoms and Courtney Mills Moore, a graduate of Furman University and Georgia State University College of Law. Courtney is married to Zak Moore, son of Phil and Dawn Moore. Cindy is blessed to the the grandmother of 5 grandchildren. Her mother is Brenda Jones of Cumming and her father was the late Leon Jones.
Business
Cindy has been a member of the business community for many years, having been the General Manager of Lanierland Music Park for 10 years and currently holds the office of president of CMC Trucking Company, a local agricultural transportation agency. In addition, she is a former real estate agent with Bryan Properties.
Service In The Community
Cindy is an active member of Oak Grove Baptist Church where she teaches Sunday School and directed the Oak Grove Opry for 30 years, as well as a leader in many other programs through the years.
She has remained active in the education community where she has participated in the Local School Council programs at Coal Mountain Elementary, North Forsyth Middle and North Forsyth High Schools. Presently, she is a member of the North Forsyth Synergy team for North cluster of schools. She was also instrumental in the creation and administration of a program providing counseling and career opportunities to at risk students enrolled at the Gateway Academy. Cindy also represented North Forsyth High on Forsyth County School Superintendent Dr.Buster Evans’ 2400 Challenge SAT improvement initiative. She was humbled to be the recipient of the Mentor of the Year award from the Forsyth County School System. During her term as Commissioner, Cindy has been instrumental in helping schools in North Forsyth acquire much needed infrastructure for it's students, mostly notable in rallying local business leaders to secure technology enhancements for Chestatee Elementary, where student access to technical devices was lacking. For her work in this area, Cindy was awarded with the 2015 Don Hendricks Partnership Award, which goes to the citizen who exemplifies the mission of partners in education and being a loyal advocate for the local school system. She has also championed the development of community gardens in our schools and brought partnerships with the North Forsyth Rotary Club to the table to help purchase greenhouses for all the schools in the North cluster and some in other areas.
Cindy has also been instrumental with getting the Forsyth County Drug Council up and running. The Drug Summits she has led with other elected and business leaders in our community are working to give parents and students all of the tools and resources necessary to curtail the use of illegal and prescription drug abuse that plagues our community. These summits have been a huge success and bring more and more participation each year since inception, as well as state wide recognition for community involvement in this important issue. Cindy has also been at the forefront of Mental Health Awareness in Forsyth County, working with Sheriff Ron Freeman and our judicial system to help address this growing problem. She has been the primary organizer of 3 Mental Wellness and Suicide Prevention Summits and has formed a Mental Wellness Council which includes public safety professionals, representatives from local non-profit organizations as well as the school system. She acquired a SAFSA grant of $400,000 to reduce recidivism in our jails and she has worked closely with Sheriff Ron Freeman on this issue.
Cindy served on the Park and Recreation Board of Forsyth County for 11 years and was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year in 2011 by the Georgia Parks and Recreation Association. Cindy also coached recreational teams for over 20 years and was a founding member of the Forsyth County Parks Foundation. She is a Charter Member of the North Forsyth 400 Rotary Club where she served as President and was an organizer of the Community Business Bank. She has also been a past board member of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce as well as the United Way of Forsyth County.
Leadership
Throughout her terms in office, Cindy has exemplified true leadership in tackling tough issues and working to build consensus among elected officials in all areas of our local government. She has led in securing matching GA DOT funds for critical road projects and was instrumental in getting the 2014 transportation bond on the ballot and making it a reality. Due to these efforts, many vital road projects in Forsyth County are now underway and the long awaited expansion of crucial highways such as GA 400 and GA 369 are closer to being completed than at anytime in recent years. She also saw a need for a new road, referred to as the Coal Mountain Connector, for safety and for traffic flow, and was able to secure funding for it so 800 neighbors could get their children to school safely. Permitting three red lights on state roads was a monumental achievement.
Leadership is also about having a vision for our future. Cindy has led in pushing forth the first new parks and green space in North Forsyth in over 2 decades. These new parks are providing excellent facilities for the youth of our community and currently all parks in District Four are slated for improvements. Eagle’s Beak Park has just been selected as a $2.25 million dollar grant recipient for its’ development. In addition to these parks, Cindy is leading by developing the Coal Mountain Overlay which is setting the standard for community identity for our county. She has also led in the addition of an East-West Trail system, which will connect our neighborhoods to walking trails and preserve green space, as well as protect the beauty of North Forsyth's green and agricultural history. Of particular importance to the residents of District 4, Cindy led the negotiations that resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding between Forsyth County and Advanced Disposal to benefit the citizens living in the area of the landfill.
Due to her work on local and state issues facing Georgia’s County Commissions, Cindy has been asked to serve on the Board of Managers for the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. This honor followed several years of service as the Chair of the Government Policy Council where she was a frequent speaker on issues of importance to county governance. She is recognized statewide for her dedication and passion for her constituents and her fellow board members and in 2015 was presented the state's Advocate of the Year Award by ACCG.
Cindy has been rewarded for her leadership by being elected Vice Chairperson to the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners. She was also recognized as the 2017 Humanitarian of the Year by Family Haven for her efforts to reduce the cycle of domestic violence.
“Service to this beloved county is an integral part of my life and through my church, our schools and local civic organizations, I have demonstrated a love of my community that will be the cornerstone of every decision I will make, if honored to serve as your District Four Commissioner. As I stand upon the shoulders of my ancestors and look to the future and legacy for our children and grandchildren, I will strive to honor all in my service,” stated Mills.