- CLIMAX: Vanessa Martin will take the mayor's seat unopposed after a former mayor’s arrest; she's pledging transparency and financial recovery.
- BAINBRIDGE: Incumbent Edward Reynolds emphasizes experience, SPLOST funding, and infrastructure, while Sylvia Washington pushes for term limits, youth jobs, and homelessness programs.
- Watch the video below to learn more about each candidate.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
In Climax, the next mayor steps in after scandal. In Bainbridge, two candidates face off over change versus experience.
Across South Georgia, voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to decide who will lead their cities and how local tax dollars will be spent.
One of the most closely watched local races is happening in Decatur County.
In Climax, a city of fewer than 300 people, much of daily life revolves around farming and small businesses. But trust in City Hall was shaken last year after the former mayor was arrested on two counts of child molestation.
After that, Vanessa Martin was appointed Mayor Pro Tem.
With no one else qualifying to run, she’ll officially become the new mayor on Tuesday.
“I think the biggest challenge is what you say that you've heard in the community. Nobody wants to get involved. And I think that I'm available. I'm in the community. Everybody knows where I live. Let's come together. I can meet you where you're at, and we can talk about it,” said Martin.
Martin has served on the city council for more than 15 years and lived in Climax for over three decades.
She says transparency and connection will be her priorities along with fixing the city’s finances. Right now, Climax is in the red, and council members haven’t been paid in nearly eight months.
“They think we get paid a whole lot of money. You know, I'm a volunteer as a city council person. So that's what they don't know. And when we have to raise taxes, we're raising taxes not because we want to..it's because we can't support the city,” said Martin.
In Bainbridge, the race looks very different.
Challenger Sylvia Washington is running against longtime incumbent Edward Reynolds, who’s held the mayor’s seat for 16 years.
Washington says it’s time for new leadership, and new limits.
“I really believe that there should be term limits to give other people opportunity. I just don't believe that people should stay in term no more than four years. I think there's opportunities for everybody,” said Washington.
Washington wants to focus on homelessness, youth jobs, and senior programs and push for more grant funding to improve infrastructure.
Reynolds, meanwhile, is emphasizing experience and continuity. As Bainbridge’s mayor for four terms, Reynolds has led major development projects from downtown revitalization to expanding riverfront access and is now overseeing a fiber-to-the-home internet project to improve local connectivity.
And although some residents worry that his family has held influence in Bainbridge politics for decades, Reynolds says his years of relationships at the state and federal level give him an advantage.
“I know people to call at the state level or federal level at this point or how to get involved with that...it takes a while to build those relationships,” said Reynolds.
Your last chance to vote is Tuesday, November 4. Polls in Bainbridge are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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