BY JOHN BRICE
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LANETT —Members of the community were provided with the opportunity to speak with candidates for school board, city council and mayor of Lanett July 8 during a meet-and-greet event hosted by the Greater Valley Area Chamber of Commerce in the gymnasium at Lanett High School. Each candidate in attendance had opportunity to connect with local residents.
School Board District 1
- Gwen Brooks is the incumbent school board member for District 1. She said she wants to keep pushing for progress through initiatives such as installing turf on the football field and switching to electric school buses.
- Terry Reed said he wishes to enhance, educate and enlighten by upgrading the school environment and increasing the selection of elective courses.
School Board District 2
- Myron Fears is the incumbent school board member for District 2 and he said his first priority is to govern to ensure that rules are being followed in order to boost student achievement.
- Shamia Lancaster-Morgan said she would like to be a catalyst for change to spark growth in the schools.
School Board District 3
- Johnny Wood is the incumbent school board member for District 3. He said he would like to expand career tech offerings so that more students can have jobs waiting for them upon graduation.
- Leilani Rudd said she looks forward to making changes to better support teachers and inspire students.
- Patricia Woody said she hopes to work together to make education more effective so that student performance in reading and math improves.
- Michelle Tucker said she wants to get more parental involvement to better support students.
School Board District 4
- David Gagnon is the incumbent school board member for District 4. Gagnon said he wants to utilize his experience in the position to get more parental involvement.
- Ashley Holloway said her main goal is to focus on community collaboration for student success with higher literacy and reading scores.
School Board District 5
- Gail Holley is the incumbent school board member for District 5. Holley said she wants to continue working to improve reading and math scores using policies such as credit recovery.
- Ryan Seymour is running for District 5 and said he wants to implement career ready certificates for graduates to assist them in entering the workforce.
Mayor
- Jamie Heard is the incumbent mayor running for reelection. Heard said he would like to bring more businesses to the city and get rid of dilapidated houses throughout the area.
- Rodney Ross is running for mayor and said he wants to see more accountability through the hiring of a city manager to make sure there are checks and balances between different departments.
- Stanley Roberts is a candidate for mayor who is a lifelong citizen and said he believes he has the solutions for what ails the city of Lanett.
- Erick Woody is running for mayor and said he wants to see the city work to benefit the people again by hiring a city manager and lowering utility costs.
- Tony Malone said he would like to build a riverwalk by the Chattahoochee and improve day to day operations with a city manager.
- Tifton Dobbs said he believes that his economic intelligence, willpower and business experience will give him the ability to turn the city around.
- Charles Autry said he would like to get rid of corruption in order to return the city to better days if he is elected mayor.
- Randall Aikens who is also is running for mayor said he would like to tackle aging infrastructure to avoid future disasters.
City Council District 5
- Kim Roberts is running for city council in District 5 and would like to clean up the city to bring in new families and businesses.
- Tony Moffett said he hopes to renovate the old mill site to generate revenue and boost economic growth if elected to the council in District 5.
City Council District 4
- Angelia Thomas is the incumbent for city council District 4 who said if she is reelected would like to clean up the city using ordinances and hire more police officers.
- Charles Bagley said he would like to improve infrastructure and make neighborhoods safer if elected to the council for District 4.
- Kenneth Smith is also running for council in District 4 and said he hopes to bridge the disconnect between young people and the older generation.
City Council District 3
- Brad Lynn said he has safety as his number one priority to make sure citizens are protected if elected to the council in District 3.
- Ronnie Tucker is the incumbent for the council in District 3 and said he believes that as a proven leader he has the experience to get the job done with projects such as renovating the old mill parking lot.
- Jarquez McCullough said he wants to bring in new ideas to generate revenue so that the city can be a thriving hub once again.
City Council District 2
- Kristina Story is running for council in District 2 and said she hopes to change the narrative by improving infrastructure such as sewer systems and roadways.
- Teresa Woody would like to use her business experience to be a resource for the community if elected to the council as a candidate for District 2.
- Sherry Potts is also running for council in District 2 and said she would like to improve the landscape as well as boost police protection.
City Council District 1
- Roderick Autry is a candidate for the council in District 1 and said he looks forward to working with the youth and elderly to help the city thrive.
- Denise Zachery is also running for council in District 1 and said she wants to improve communication between the city and community for efforts such as cleaning up the city and bringing in more businesses.
