Qualifying has ended and civic-minded Butts County residents have stepped up to run for the host of seats open on the Jackson, Flovilla and Jenkinsurg city councils.
In Jackson, incumbent Theodore Patterson will be challenged by Christy Jo Suthard and Jerry Smith for the District 1 seat. Patterson has represented Jackson’s District 1 for the past 37 years.
Incumbent Don Cook will be challenged by Stephen Vasil for the District 4 seat. Cook has held the seat for the past 10 years.
Incumbent Beth Weaver will be challenged by Jeanette Riley for the District 5 seat on the City Council. Weaver, the chief deputy clerk in the Butts County Clerk of Superior Court’s office, has served on the Council since 2009.
Riley, a former city of Jackson employee, challenged Jackson Mayor Carlos Duffey for the position of mayor and lost by 31 votes.
Flovilla Mayor Beth Burns will face former mayor Harvey Norris. Burns, a human resources coordinator at Southern Crescent Technical College, is currently serving her third term as the city’s mayor. Her first term in 2014 was for a year as she finished out the unexpired term of Scott Chewning.
Norris, the fire chief for the city of Jackson, was elected to the Flovilla City Council in 1987. He was elected mayor of Flovilla in 1992, but lost the position in the next election. Norris returned to office in 1998 and held the position until 2011. He ran for Flovilla City Council in 2013 but narrowly missed earning enough votes.
Flovilla incumbent Councilmen James Hosford and Willie Morgan will run unopposed for posts on the council.
With no opposition, Jenkinsburg Mayor Eddie Ford will remain the city’s mayor. Ford first served the city as a councilman in 1978. He served as mayor from 1982-1986. He returned to the council as a councilman in 1986 and served through 1987. In 1995, he returned to the council and remained a councilman through 2015. He was re-elected to the position of mayor in 2016 and has remained mayor since.
Post 1 Councilman Brent Eberspacher will retain his positon with no opposition.
Post 3 incumbent Councilman Kenneth Rooks will face two opponents as Jenkinsburg residents David Massey and Gary Roberts have qualified for Post 3.
Rooks was the mayor of Jenkinsburg from 2008 until 2011. He has been a member of the Jenkinsburg City Council since 2012.
The municipal elections will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Advanced voting will take place Oct. 16 through Nov. 3.
Source: Jackson Progress-Argus