Lanny Bowlin, who was the last surviving former Albany Mayor, passed away last Friday at his Albany home after a lengthy illness. He was 67 years old.

Bowlin was first elected to the office of Albany Mayor in the November 1985 general election when he won the position by defeating three candidates, Sid Scott who was the sitting mayor, and Howard Sloan and John Hay.

He was re-elected to the position four years later in the November 1989 general election, again defeating three challengers including Scott as well as Roger Owens and Ernest York.

Prior to running for Albany Mayor, Bowlin was elected to a two-year term on the Albany City Council in 1983.

Due to health issues that arose during his second term in office, Bowlin stepped down from the office near the mid-term point of that term and the Albany City Council appointed council member Bobby York to fill the unexpired term.

In the next election held in 1993, James A. Brown was elected to the position of Albany Mayor.

“Lanny was proud of the accomplishments he made in extending waterlines to many county residents as well as many other accomplishments he made that helped the people living in the city limits,” Bowlin’s son-in-law Pat Campbell told the Clinton County News Monday morning.

Campbell said that when Bowlin’s health issues arose during his second term, it was knowing that he would be unable to devote his full time efforts to the job that caused him to step down in mid-term.

“Lanny never had a political agenda, so to speak, when he served as Mayor because he just wanted to make things better for the city and county, so when it became evident that his health issues were not going to let him concentrate on the needs of the office full time, he stepped down in mid-term,” Campbell said.

At the time, Bowlin was dealing with an issue that resulted in his having a stent placed in his spine.

Bowlin was also instrumental in securing many improvements for the Albany Fire Department while serving as Albany Mayor.

During Bowlin’s tenure, a new headquarters for the Albany Fire Department was built and several new fire trucks were put into service.

His daughter, Patricia Miller, told the Clinton County News in an email message Monday afternoon that he had made several trips to locations as distant as Florida to pick up new trucks for the department.

Miller also pointed out her father’s affection for Albany by remembering a quote from him that appeared in an 1991 article in the Louisville Courier Journal when he said about Albany “I think this is the garden spot of the world”.

Bowlin later returned to service with the City of Albany, although on a different level. He had recently retired as Water Treatment Manager for the City of Albany.

A complete death notice for Lanny Bowlin appears this week in the Clinton County News on page X.