The election
is still months away, but speculation is already rampant about who might
become Peachtree City's next mayor.
Current Mayor
Bob Lenox, who will complete his second term at the end of this year,
cannot seek a third term due to term limits.
Who will fill
his shoes? At this point, no one has made a concrete decision to step
into the fray.
Councilwoman
Annie McMenamin has confirmed that she is considering running for mayor,
but she has not made a final decision and will consider the needs of her
family in making that decision. Councilman Dan Tennant also confirmed
he is pondering a run for mayor, though he is also undecided at this time.
Former planning
commissioner Willis Granger also confirmed that he is considering a mayoral
run, although he has not made a final decision.
Among those
saying they won't run for mayor include council members Robert Brooks,
Carol Fritz and another rumored potential candidate: Tate Godfrey, who
has already re-applied for his current post on the Peachtree City Economic
Development Authority, which expires next month.
Local resident
Steve Brown and former state representative Dan Lakly have also been rumored
to be considering a mayoral run, but neither could be contacted by press
time.
Godfrey, who
is currently treasurer of the Economic Development Authority and also
the Director of Office and Industrial Development at Pathways Communities,
said he has no intentions of running for office.
"I have
no political ambitions," Godfrey said Thursday morning. "I spend
a lot of time with a lot of different organizations, but I enjoy what
I get out of it. ... I live in this community and I want to be a part
of it. I certainly don't do it for political motivation."
Councilwoman
Carol Fritz said she has been asked to run for mayor, but she doesn't
want the job and she's not even sure if she will run for re-election (her
term expires at the end of this year). Her final decision about seeking
re-election to her council seat will be made much later, Fritz added.
Councilman
Robert Brooks said he has already decided not to run for mayor even though
people keep asking him if he will run. Brooks said he doesn't have enough
time in his schedule to perform the duties of mayor.
Lenox could
run for council if he so chose, but he has already said he doesn't plan
to.
McMenamin said
she would be honored to be the next mayor of Peachtree City, but she has
two years left on her term in office, as does Tennant. She is also wary
of the responsibilities of public office, which often mean putting family
second, she said.
Tennant said
he will give a possible run for mayor "a great deal of thought"
before making a final decision.
"I am
certainly thinking about it," Tennant said.
Granger said
he has been in contact with several different groups about running for
mayor, and he has received a lot of encouragement. Still, he is undecided,
he added.
The seats up
for election this year are currently held by Lenox, Brooks and Fritz.
Brooks can't run for council since he has already served two consecutive
terms.
McMenamin and
Tennant occupy the only two council seats that aren't up for re-election,
so the face of council could change considerably if either or both decide
to run for mayor. If so, they will first have to resign their council
posts near qualifying time in September.
In such a case,
a special election would be scheduled to fill those council seats and
in the interim, the remaining council members would appoint someone to
those seats, according to the city charter.







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