List of mayors of Garden City, Georgia

Last updated

Located at 100 Central Avenue, the building that is currently used as the Town Center of Garden City was opened to the public in 2009. Garden City Hall.jpg
Located at 100 Central Avenue, the building that is currently used as the Town Center of Garden City was opened to the public in 2009.

Garden City, Georgia was incorporated on February 8, 1939. It operates under a council-administrator form of government. By 2011, its city council will be composed of one mayor and five city council members. Each of the councillors will represent a different section of town.

Contents

The current mayor is Tennyson Holder. Re-elected to the city council in 2009, he was appointed by his colleagues to serve the remainder the Anthony "Andy" Quinney's unexpired mayoral term. [1]

As of 2010, Garden City has never collected property taxes. [2]

Council Meetings

The Council meets on the first and the third Mondays of each month at 7:00 p.m. [3] Meetings have taken place at:

Mayors

Until 2003, the mayor and the council members were elected to two-year terms of office. In 2003, staggered four-year terms were introduced. [5]

Past and presents mayors are:

InaugurationTerm ExpirationMayorPartyOther Elective Offices
 April 7, 1939December 11, 1941Edgar C. Pipkin Democrat Chatham County Commissioner, 1951–1961
 December 11, 1941December 9, 1943Edgar C. PipkinDemocrat
 December 9, 1943December 13, 1945Edgar C. PipkinDemocrat
 December 13, 1945December 11, 1947Edgar C. PipkinDemocrat
 December 11, 1947December 8, 1949Edgar C. PipkinDemocrat
 December 8, 1949December 13, 1951J. Arlie RoweDemocratGarden City Council Member, 1939–1941
 December 13, 1951December 10, 1953J. Arlie RoweDemocrat
 December 10, 1953September 3, 1954 [6] J. Arlie RoweDemocrat
 October 5, 1954 [7] December 8, 1955Warren F. Oglesby, Sr.DemocratGarden City Council Member, 1949–1954
 December 8, 1955December 12, 1957Warren F. Oglesby, Sr.Democrat
 December 12, 1957December 10, 1959Warren F. Oglesby, Sr.Democrat
 December 10, 1959December 14, 1961Warren F. Oglesby, Sr.Democrat
 December 14, 1961December 12, 1963Rupert W. BazemoreDemocratGarden City Council Member, 1955–1959
 December 12, 1963December 9, 1965Rupert W. BazemoreDemocrat
 December 9, 1965December 14, 1967Rupert W. BazemoreDemocrat
 December 14, 1967December 11, 1969Rupert W. BazemoreDemocrat
 December 11, 1969December 9, 1971Rupert W. BazemoreDemocrat
 December 9, 1971December 13, 1973Rupert W. BazemoreDemocrat
 December 13, 1973December 11, 1975 James M. "Jimmie" DeLoach DemocratGarden City Council Member, 1971–1973;
Chatham County Commissioner, 1980–1992
 December 11, 1975December 8, 1977James M. "Jimmie" DeLoachDemocrat
 December 8, 1977December 13, 1979James M. "Jimmie" DeLoachDemocrat
 December 13, 1979December 10, 1981Ralph O. Kessler Republican Garden City Council Member, 1975–1979
 December 10, 1981December 8, 1983Ralph O. KesslerRepublican
 December 8, 1983December 12, 1985Ralph O. KesslerRepublican
 December 12, 1985December 10, 1987E. James "Jimmy" BurnsedRepublicanGarden City Council Member, 1979–1985;
Bryan County Commission Chairman since 2005 [8]
 December 10, 1987December 14, 1989E. James "Jimmy" BurnsedRepublican
 December 14, 1989January 6, 1992Ralph O. KesslerRepublican
 January 6, 1992January 3, 1994LeRoy "Roy" L. CragerRepublicanGarden City Council Member, 1981–1992; 2000–2002
 January 3, 1994January 8, 1996LeRoy "Roy" L. CragerRepublican
 January 8, 1996January 5, 1998James "Jay" W. HarrellRepublicanGarden City Council Member, 1969–1987;
1989–1992; 2000–2002
 January 5, 1998January 2, 2000Dean KicklighterRepublicanGarden City Council Member, 1996–1998;
Chatham County Commissioner, since 2000 [9]
 January 2, 2000January 6, 2002Ralph O. KesslerRepublican
 January 6, 2002January 5, 2004Anthony "Andy" QuinneyRepublicanGarden City Council Member, 1998–2000
 January 5, 2004January 7, 2008Anthony "Andy" QuinneyRepublican
 January 7, 2008September 25, 2009 [10] Anthony "Andy" QuinneyRepublican
October 5, 2009 [11] January 2, 2012Tennyson HolderGarden City Council Member, 1992–2009

Color code:   Democrat or non-partisan leaning Democrat  Republican or non-partisan leaning Republican  Independent

Council Members

Past and present council members are:

Willie L. Adams1959–1961
Rupert W. Bazemore1955–1961Mayor of Garden City, 1961–1973
Viola W. Bell [12] 1985–2000
Don BethuneSince 2010
Frederick Dekle Blackburn, Jr.1988–1992
M.O. Blackburn, Jr.1954–1959
M.O. Blackburn, Sr.1940–1941; 1943–1945
John R. Blackwell1949–1953
I. Clifford Blount, Jr.1947–1949
Bobby G. Bohler1973–1975
Jessie L. Bowman1953–1958
Clark F. Branch1959–1961
James A. Bridgforth1961–1965; 1969–1971
Elbert N. Brown1953–1954
Ernest M. Brown, Sr.1961–1973
Robert "Bob" Bryant, Sr.1996–2004Georgia House Representative, since 2005
E. James "Jimmy" Burnsed1979–1985Mayor of Garden City, 1985–1989
Chair of the Bryan County Commission, since 2005
J. Lawrence Cavanah1961–1969; 1971–1973
Stanley Childers1996–2000
Keith Cox1971–1978
LeRoy "Roy" L. Crager1981–1992; 2000–2002Mayor of Garden City, 1992–1996
Lois T. Dasher [13] 1978–1985
James M. "Jimmie" DeLoach1971–1973Mayor of Garden City, 1973–1979
Chatham County Commissioner, 1980–1992
J.A. "Sonny" Dixon 1985–1988Georgia House Representative, 1989–1997
Ralph V. Dodd1971–1981
Fred S. Elliott1959–1961
C. Marvin Exley1949–1959
Welcome G. Farr1961–1967
Kay A. Ford1996–1998Member of the School Board
Alton D. Fryer1947–1958
W.J. Fussell1947–1949
Scott A. George2012 to PresentMayor Pro Temp
Dan W. Gray1941–1943
L. Fred Griffin, III1989–1992
Joseph W. Guill1943–1947
Gwyn L. Hall, Sr.1996–1998; Since 2004
James "Jay" W. Harrell, Jr.1969–1987; 1989–1992; 2000–2002Mayor of Garden City, 1996–1998
Amos C. Hathaway1957–1959
Steve T. Hattrich, Jr.1965–1971
Edwin B. Hemby1943–1947
Lawrence E. Hill, Jr.1973–1987
Claude Hodges, Jr.1973–1977
A. Tennyson Holder1992–2009Mayor of Garden City, since 2009
Connie S. Holland1994–1996
Darrel Hutcheson1977–1987
J.Q. James1945–1947
M.C. Jones1947–1949
R. Bowen Jones1971–1992; since 2000
William B. Jones1939–1945
Ralph O. Kessler1975–1979Mayor of Garden City, 1979–1985; 1989–1992
Bessie KicklighterSince 2002
Dean Kicklighter1996–1998Mayor of Garden City, 1998–2000
Chatham County Commissioner, since 2000
W.A. Marks1940–1943
John C. McCord1939–1945
S.L. McDonald1939–1941
William Durward MotesSince 2004
Wendell P. Neville1961–1965
Warren F. Oglesby, Sr.1949–1954Mayor of Garden City, 1954–1961
Marion F. Peterson1967–1969
W. Roy Poe1952–1953; 1955–1957
Anthony "Andy" Quinney1998–2000Mayor of Garden City, 2002–2009
Ted O. Romine1969–1971
J. Arlie Rowe1939–1941Mayor of Garden City, 1949–1954
George A. Seckinger1961–1965
Misty Bethune Selph2006–2010
Judy Moore ShumanSince 2002
Carlie L. Smith1965–1969
Edsel Smith1965–1971
James "Jimmy" Lee Spilliards2000–2004; since 2009
Jack C. Stafford1961–1969
Ron Stephens1994–1996Georgia House Representative, since 1997
Carl G. Story1949–1953
Shelby Strickland1996–2000
H.W. Tuten1939–1940; 1941–1943
John Underwood1969–1971
Hal A. Van Sickle1940–1941; 1945–1949; 1954–1959
Robert Edward Wilder1987–1992; 1994–1996; 2000–2002
Earl Wilson2002–2004

Footnotes

  1. Tennyson Holder takes reins as Garden City mayor, Savannah Morning News, October 5, 2009
  2. Charles Cochran, Race seems like musical chairs, Savannah Morning News, October 3, 2003
  3. City of Garden City, Chatham County Governmental Directory, p. 83
  4. New Garden City Town Hall Opens, Savannah Morning News, September 9, 1963
  5. Chatham County's municipal races shape up, Savannah Morning News, September 13, 2003
  6. Rowe resigned before the end of his term of office. Mayor J.A. Rowe Resigns, Savannah Morning News, September 4, 1954
  7. Oglesby was appointed by his colleagues of the City Council to complete Rowe’s unexpired term. Warren Oglesby Named Mayor of Garden City, Savannah Morning News, October 5, 1954
  8. Burnsed will run for re-election in Bryan, Savannah Morning News, April 2, 2008 Archived July 16, 2012, at archive.today
  9. Commissioner Dean Kicklighter, District 7 Archived 2007-06-17 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Quinney resigned before the end of his third mayoral term. Garden City's mayor resigns, Savannah Morning News, Jenel Few, September 26, 2009
  11. Holder was appointed by the City Council to serve the remainder of Anthony "Andy" Quinney's unexpired term. Tennyson Holder takes reins as Garden City mayor, Savannah Morning News, Michael Atkins, October 5, 2009
  12. Viola Bell was the first elected Black council member in Garden City.
  13. Lois Dasher was appointed in 1978 and became the first elected female council member in Garden City in 1979.

See also