Johnny B. Basler
District 5 Commissioner
Henry County Board of Commissioners

District V Commissioner Johnny Basler is a longtime Georgia resident having lived in Henry County since 1976, after moving from DeKalb County. Commissioner Basler attended Henry County public schools and graduated from Stockbridge High School in 1979. He married his wife, Sonya, in 1988 and together they have a nine year-old daughter, Madison.
As a small business owner, Commissioner Basler has established deep roots in the county with two successful businesses. He has owned and operated Basler Hauling since 1998, which specializes in transporting dirt, sand and gravel. He and his wife, Sonya, purchased Biscuits and Brunch in December 2003 and together they run the popular Stockbridge restaurant.
He was elected to the Henry County Board of Commissioners in 2006 for a four-year term, and has been instrumental in several important SPLOST and DOT projects in the past two years, most recently celebrating the groundbreaking for the much anticipated Fairview Recreation Center, scheduled to be completed by the Fall of 2010. Other accomplishments under his tenure include the opening of a police substation in Fairview, the purchase of 122 acres in Kelleytown to be developed into a passive park, the completion of the Fairview and Thurman Roads intersection, the paving of Ford Drive, and improvements at Hearn and Austin Roads, among others.
He is one of the first Henry County Commissioners to receive the advanced certification with the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) for which he successfully completed 96 credit hours of advanced classes.
Commissioner Basler’s passion is music and he has worked with many well-known Nashville entertainment groups. Prior to 1987, he played drums professionally for several years in a variety of bands, most recently with Timeless Highway from 2001 to 2006, while holding various positions with other companies, including Kraft Foods and AAA Cooper.
He is an active member of Glen Haven Baptist Church in McDonough and the Stockbridge Masonic Lodge.
Community Improvement Initiatives
- Efforts to reduce crime in District 5 are working
- The opening of a Henry County Police precinct on Fairview
Road and increases visibility in the area and it allows
officers to stay within the district to file paperwork,
giving them more time to patrol their zones. This, coupled
with adding 3 Police officers per shift, has resulted in
a 25% decline in the crime rate from 2003 to 2007.
- A Recreation Center will be built in the Fifth
District under SPLOST III - This center will feature
indoor basketball courts and a walking track, as well as
several exercise and activity rooms to make participating
in Parks & Recreation programs more convenient for citizens.
- Park Land has been purchased for Kelleytown area
- The 122 acres tentatively named Old Kelleytown Park is
located adjacent the Kelleytown Fire Station and will first
be developed as a passive park, offering lakeside walking
trails, as well as a playground and picnic pavilions. The
Master Plan for the park calls for the construction of both
baseball and football fields and possibly bike paths to
be constructed at a later date.
- To view the Town Hall presentation regarding the property
located at 761 Clark Drive and to Review New Projects within
District 5, click
here {PDF}.
Road Projects
- Thurman at East Atlanta - The preliminary
plans for this SPLOST III project have been completed by
Henry County DOT and are currently in review. The project
involves cutting the hill down on Thurman to improve stopping
sight distance as well as signalization.
- Fairview Widening project - This is a
top priority for Commissioner Basler, who has been working
to get this project moved out of Long-range and into the
TIP (6-year short-range plan). For the portion of the project
from Thurman to Cook Road, which is designated as a SPLOST
III project, the survey and design are in progress. It involves
converting Fairview Road from two lanes to a four lane divided
highway from Thurman Road to Cook Road, and includes the
widening of Anvil Block road. Construction could begin on
this project as early as 2010.
- Paving of Ford Road - Construction is
scheduled to begin in November 2008 by Henry County DOT.
- Austin Road/Hearn Road Intersection –
Work is to begin in October 2008 on this Henry County DOT
project, which involves the realignment of the southern
leg of this intersection and converting it into a 4-way
stop.
- Highway 138 at Highway 155 - GDOT is
expected to put this project out to bid in October 2008,
with construction to begin by end of the year.
- Highway 138 at Hemphill - The preliminary
plans for this SPLOST III intersection improvement project
were completed by Henry County DOT and right-of-way acquisition
is underway. Improvements include realignment of Hemphill
on the west side, raising the grade of Hemphill on the east
side to improve sight distance, and turn lanes with signalization.
Construction is expected to begin in summer 2009.
- Panola at East Atlanta – The design for
this Henry County DOT project is in review.
- Reagan Road Culvert – The culvert replacement
construction is nearing completion and Henry County DOT
will complete the roadway construction on either side of
the new culvert immediately thereafter.
District
5: Monthly SPLOST Report (PDF)
District 5
Map (PDF)
District 5 News
 | Henry County Leadership Honored by
Local Chapter of the NAACP
Henry County District V Commissioner Johnny Basler and Planning and Development Services Division Continue Reading...
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 | Henry First Initiative Marks One Year of Putting Local Businesses First
One year ago, the Henry County Board of Commissioners implemented a new program to help local bus Continue Reading...
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