Mary Ann Petty Honored After 53 Years As Albany’s First Black City Employee

Petty was celebrated for more than five decades of public service.

The City of Albany on Dec. 18 honored Mary Ann Petty, a pioneering public servant who made history as the city’s first Black female customer service record clerk and later rose to become director of administrative services, recognizing a career shaped by resilience, service, and lasting impact.

Petty began working for the city at just 19 years old, after Albany was legally required to integrate its workforce under desegregation laws. Her hiring marked a turning point in the city’s history, placing her at the center of a court-mandated effort to open downtown offices to Black employees.

At the time, Petty said she did not fully grasp the significance of the role. “My first response was, I didn’t want the job, you know, because I’m 19 years old. I wanted to stay home,” she recalled. It was only after officials explained the importance of the court order that she accepted the position. “I did not know at that time how significant it was, but as time passed, I realized where I was,” she said.

Her early years on the job were marked by hostility and discrimination in Georgia. Petty said she was forced to eat lunch in a boiler room, endured cruel remarks, and was treated as an outsider. “I realized my first day on the job I wasn’t a welcomed site, I was a sight that was unwelcome,” she said. Despite those challenges, she remained with the city for more than five decades. “Through those years, it is wonderful and beautiful, everything has changed, and I have had a magnificent 53 years with the city of Albany,” Petty said.

According to WALB, more than 53 years later, colleagues, city leaders, family members, and friends gathered at the Albany Civic Center to celebrate her legacy. The event featured moments of reflection, emotional tributes, and music, marking the profound changes Petty helped witness and shape.

Albany City Manager Terrell Jacobs praised Petty’s commitment to public service. “She’s a legend,” Jacobs said. “It has to be a ministry of yours to serve people, sometimes when they don’t want to be served.”

Petty noted the transformation of city leadership over the decades, pointing to the diversity now present in Albany’s government. “In 1972, you wouldn’t have seen,” many of the Black leaders who now hold positions of authority, she said.

As she closed the ceremony, Petty offered words of encouragement to those continuing the work she began. “Continue to stand,” she told the audience. “At the end of the dash… I’m taking my seat for you.”