CAIRO, Ga. (WTXL) - The mayor of Cairo is wrapping up his first week of having an office at City Hall.
Booker Gainor has been the Mayor of Cairo for about ten months, but has not had an official office space to conduct city business. That all changed on Monday.
Since March, the mayor has been asking the city council to allow him to use an empty office above City Hall. Each time he asked, the answer was always "no."
Previous mayors and even the current council members have used either their home or work offices to conduct city business.
That wasn't an option for Gainor since his job requires him to be in many different places throughout the day.
Through the past ten months as mayor, Gainor has earned the respect of the city, and the council. His perseverance led him and the council to find a solution to the office problems.
For the mayor, this office isn't just a place to handle city business, it's also a symbol.
"It's to do certain things of soliciting my city. We are the hospitality city. In other cities and municipalities, it's an honor and a privilege to visit the mayor's office," said Mayor Gainor. "It's also a tool of motivation for the youth to say, 'hey, we visited the mayor's office today,' to where you can plant a seed in them that may inspire them, not only to be a mayor, but to persevere whatever their goal is."
Mayor Gainor says that this office is not just for him. It's also for future mayors that will come after.
That way, each one will have a specific place to reflect on city issues and ways to resolve them.
