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Vol. 143, No. 29 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882 Wednesday, September 6, 2023 - $1.00
City election races shape up for November
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The General Municipal Election
promises to be interesting races in
Waynesboro, Sardis and Midville.
Qualifying for the Waynesboro
mayoral race are incumbent Bill
Tinley, Tyrek S. Scott, Brenda
Lee Lewis and Vice-mayor James
“Chick” Jones. Incumbent C. Britt
Herrington is the only qualifying
candidate for the Ward 1 Post 1 city
council position. The race for Ward
2 Post 2 city council post being va
cated by Jones includes former coun-
cilwoman Alberta J. Anderson and
Bobby Givens. Incumbent Vickey
Bates and Portia L. Washington will
vie for the Ward 3 Post 3 city council
position.
Six candidates are competing for
three open city council positions in
Sardis. They include Vanessa Mutch,
incumbent Grady E. Dixon, Wendy
A. Sirmons, Debra Widner Kile, in
cumbent Leroy Lane and incumbent
Arthur Lreeman.
No one qualihed to run against
Girard Mayor William Cox or the
expired City Council members’ seats
held by Ricky Vamodore and Greg
Moxley.
In Midville, Mayor Wallace Lem
ons is running unopposed. Patricia
Lewis Davis is running for Council
woman Norma Thome’s seat. Thome
did not qualify for this race. Incum
bent Joan Hall will mn against Lred-
die Lee Wright for council seat 3.
The General Municipal Election
is November 7, 2023. The absentee
by-mail application period began
August 21. The last day to register
or change an address is October 10,
2023. Absentee in-person voting
begins October 16, 2023 and runs
through November 3. Voting hours
are Monday through Lriday and
includes two Saturdays; October 21
and October 28. Voting hours are 9
a.m.-5p.m.
BCHS Principal, Dr. Walter Seabrooks and information was available.
Superintendent Dr. Angela Williams informed The annual Homecoming Parade will still be
Alumni, parents and the community August 28 held Thursday, September 21st at 5 p.m., Down-
that the tailgating part of Homecoming 2023 town Waynesboro. The BC Bears vs. Statesboro
has been canceled. football game is scheduled for Friday, Septem-
The letter said a number of circumstances her 22nd in the Bear Den at 7:30 p.m.
led to the school system’s decision. No further
Solicitor says he needs a raise
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Burke County Solicitor Matt
Lranklin attended the county’s Au
gust 28 budget work session asking
for a raise.
Lranklin said in addition to a 5%
cost of living increase, he wanted the
Board of Commissioners to consider
an additional $5,700 increase in his
pay. He pointed out to the panel
that the number of cases has risen
significantly since 2015. This is
not the first time Lranklin has asked
the board to consider increasing his
salary since 2020. He said his salary
does not justify the amount of work
he is doing.
“If you can come up with the
$5,700, I will try to continue my
job as long as possible until the
next work load increases,” he said
and added that if he didn’t get more
money, he didn’t know how long he
could continue to work as solicitor.
Lranklin challenged the BOC to find
another candidate with his experi
ence and education who would be
willing to work for his wages.
County Manager Merv Waldrop
pointed out to the board that the
solicitor’s pay is determined locally.
Lranklin’s original base salary was
approximately $2,800 per month
and has been increased throughout
the years with county-wide cost of
living raises. Lranklin also receives a
5% longevity increase for each term
that he completes. Thus far, he has
completed two terms.
State Court Judge Jackson Cox
also approached the panel with a re
port on the accountability court. Be
sides Atlanta, only four other metro
areas besides Richmond and Burke
counties have accountability courts.
The community service work that is
provided through the program is val
ued at $17-$26 per hour, he said. The
courts will continue to work with
county to provide community service
that involves cleaning up trash even
after Ryland Environmental assumes
the responsibility for curbside trash
services.
“It puts Burke County in rare
company because the other courts
are in heavily populated counties,”
he said. “I want to congratulate you
on supporting the idea of account
ability court.”
The BOC will hold a public hear
ing to consider the LY 2024 budget
September 13 at 6:30 p.m. Detailed
copies of the budget are available
online at www.burkecounty-ga.gov.
Solicitor Matt Franklin approached the BOC August 28 with a request
for a raise.
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Local candidates weigh in on their bids for office
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Editor’s Note: This is part 1 on a
series of interviews involving candi
dates running for local public offices.
Alberta Anderson
After taking a hiatus from politics
to focus on her health, Alberta An
derson is running for a Waynesboro
City Council seat again.
“I ran in 2013 and 2021 is when I
stopped,” she said recently.
Anderson said she has a desire to
make a difference in the community.
Since leaving office, she feels a
disconnect has developed involving
city personnel. She also recognizes
the power that comes with holding
office.
“I just look around my community
and I say, ‘what can I do to make it
even better and I thought well, if I be
come an elected official again, then I
can make those calls to Atlanta and
they will respond,” she said.
Reconnecting with current city
leaders entails more than creating
policy and procedure; she wants
to assist in obtaining grant funds.
Although Anderson left office, the
concern for issues the community
faces, hasn’t left her mind. She feels
strongly that dilapidated housing
remains an issue that needs to be
addressed.
Her previous government experi
ence taught her to slow down and
acquire more patience for change,
she said. However, one change she
would like to see implemented is
geared toward usage of city-owned
vehicles. She
SEE
recently noticed
that a vehicle uti- CANDIDATES,
lized by a city 6
Alberta Anderson
Portia Washington
Tyrek Scott