In the late 1990s, Michael Hightower was flying high.
Hightower, a native of College Park, was serving on the Fulton County Commission (defeating a two-term commissioner in 1986) representing southwest Atlanta and South Fulton. He already had served seven years on the City Council of College Park — the first Black person elected to that role — being elected when he was only 22.
Hightower also had a national presence, serving as the youngest and third Black president of the National Association of Counties in 1996. As early as 1988, a national magazine identified Hightower as one of the Black elected leaders to watch, along with then-Congressman John Lewis and future Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell.
But that changed on June 6, 2000, when Hightower resigned from the Fulton County Commission after pleading guilty to accepting nearly $25,000 from a firm doing business with the county.
Hightower — a personable and popular politician — suddenly was facing time in prison after being prosecuted by Sally Yates, then assistant U.S. Attorney, who Hightower actually complimented for treating him fairly.
“I never called it a bribe. I never traded anything for it. I never sold my services. I called it an inappropriate payment,” Hightower said in a wide-ranging interview on Feb. 21 while sitting in his BuggyWorks office in East Point. “I accepted responsibility because it was a payment from a county contractor.”
Hightower sat down for the interview only two days after the highly successful South Metro Development Outlook Conference, the 23rd annual event that attracted 868 attendees to the Georgia International Convention Center. Most of them likely had no clue of the “detour” in Hightower’s life.
The conference, put on by Hightower’s company, “The Collaborative Firm,” is literally a “who’s who” of regional leaders focused on bringing economic development to the south metro area with a goal of having more balanced growth in the Atlanta region.
Hightower, 67, spoke openly about his past during the interview, sharing perspectives and insights he’s gained over his decades in public and private service.
“I never saw it as a defeat,” said Hightower, who added that it was “challenging” to only make between $16,000 and $20,000 a year as a Fulton County commissioner. “It was an unfortunate situation, but it also led me to a new chapter in my life.”
That new chapter began in June 2001 with the founding of the Collaborative Firm — an economic development consulting entity he launched the week he was released after serving six months in a prison camp in Pensacola, Fla.
“My view about life is that it’s about tomorrow,” said Hightower, who served from Dec. 4, 2000 to June 1, 2001. “I looked at my stay in Pensacola as a sabbatical. I had that time to plan my future. It’s all about your mindset, and then you put it into action.”
Hightower was released nearly exactly a year after pleading guilty. During that year, he had a “transition committee” of about 40 community, business, political and religious friends and leaders who helped him plot his future.
He relied on the three “F’s” — faith, family and future (with a focus) — in that order.
“The key for me was full disclosure and being transparent. There’s no dancing around it,” Hightower said. “One year doesn’t define your life. It just makes you better.”
Today, the Collaborative Firm has about 25 employees and a second office in Savannah. The South Metro Development Outlook conference has also become an important annual event for the south side and the entire region.
“Over the years, the South Metro Development Outlook conference has sparked innovative ideas and bold thinking that have helped move the South Metro area forward,” said Anna Roach, executive director and CEO of the Atlanta Regional Commission. “Perhaps most importantly, it created a community that has built the kind of lasting relationships that are essential to foster meaningful change. Michael Hightower is to be commended for putting a spotlight on the unique challenges and opportunities of our region’s South Metro area.”
Michael Paris, president and CEO of the Council for Quality Growth, agreed.
“Michael Hightower has worked tirelessly over the past 20 plus years to bring emphasis on the opportunities for economic success in the South Metro,” Paris said. “He has become a key leader in the South Metro, and his focus made him an invaluable resource.”
For Hightower, it is all part of a continuum that began when he attended College Park High School and Clark University, now Clark Atlanta. He credits a host of mentors who have helped him along the way, most notably Michael Lomax, who chaired the Fulton County Commission when Hightower was elected in 1986. In fact, Hightower and Martin Luther King III were elected the same year to the commission — when it went from being a majority white commission to being majority Black. Hightower served as vice chair of the commission for much of that time.
Throughout his upbringing and career, Hightower has been focused on the South Metro area — an area he now believes is finally getting its due. He points to several successful projects on the Southside, such as Trilith Studios and the U.S. Soccer Training Center in Fayette County.
“There’s so much happening on the Southside,” said Hightower, who shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, Hightower plans to work until he’s at least 80 when he plans to “semi-retire” — health permitting. “I’m a self-proclaimed workaholic. I’ve never been balanced a day in my life.”
Hightower described his time in prison as “a pothole” in the road.
“I just kept going,” Hightower said. “We amplify situations we shouldn’t. Life has always been an evolving opportunity.”
When he can find the time, Hightower would like to chronicle his story in a book that he will title: “Resilience, Redemption and Service.” He would like for it to be an inspiration for others who may be facing obstacles like he has faced in his past.
“I’ve had a great life to be as blessed as I’ve been my entire life — in public service, in business and serving on a national level,” Hightower said. “What I had was a slight detour. It was my faith that allowed me to keep going.”
Michael Hightower is flying high again.
