List of mayors of Garden City, Georgia

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.

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.

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

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

  • Garden City Community House, 78 Varnedoe Avenue, from 1951 until 1963
  • Garden City City Hall, 100 Main Street, from 1963 to 2009 [4]
  • Garden City Town Center, 100 Central Avenue, since 2009

Mayors

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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:

Inauguration Term Expiration Mayor Party Other Elective Offices
  April 7, 1939 December 11, 1941 Edgar C. Pipkin Democrat Chatham County Commissioner, 1951–1961
  December 11, 1941 December 9, 1943 Edgar C. Pipkin Democrat
  December 9, 1943 December 13, 1945 Edgar C. Pipkin Democrat
  December 13, 1945 December 11, 1947 Edgar C. Pipkin Democrat
  December 11, 1947 December 8, 1949 Edgar C. Pipkin Democrat
  December 8, 1949 December 13, 1951 J. Arlie Rowe Democrat Garden City Council Member, 1939–1941
  December 13, 1951 December 10, 1953 J. Arlie Rowe Democrat
  December 10, 1953 September 3, 1954 [6] J. Arlie Rowe Democrat
  October 5, 1954 [7] December 8, 1955 Warren F. Oglesby, Sr. Democrat Garden City Council Member, 1949–1954
  December 8, 1955 December 12, 1957 Warren F. Oglesby, Sr. Democrat
  December 12, 1957 December 10, 1959 Warren F. Oglesby, Sr. Democrat
  December 10, 1959 December 14, 1961 Warren F. Oglesby, Sr. Democrat
  December 14, 1961 December 12, 1963 Rupert W. Bazemore Democrat Garden City Council Member, 1955–1959
  December 12, 1963 December 9, 1965 Rupert W. Bazemore Democrat
  December 9, 1965 December 14, 1967 Rupert W. Bazemore Democrat
  December 14, 1967 December 11, 1969 Rupert W. Bazemore Democrat
  December 11, 1969 December 9, 1971 Rupert W. Bazemore Democrat
  December 9, 1971 December 13, 1973 Rupert W. Bazemore Democrat
  December 13, 1973 December 11, 1975 James M. "Jimmie" DeLoach Democrat Garden City Council Member, 1971–1973;
Chatham County Commissioner, 1980–1992
  December 11, 1975 December 8, 1977 James M. "Jimmie" DeLoach Democrat
  December 8, 1977 December 13, 1979 James M. "Jimmie" DeLoach Democrat
  December 13, 1979 December 10, 1981 Ralph O. Kessler Republican Garden City Council Member, 1975–1979
  December 10, 1981 December 8, 1983 Ralph O. Kessler Republican
  December 8, 1983 December 12, 1985 Ralph O. Kessler Republican
  December 12, 1985 December 10, 1987 E. James "Jimmy" Burnsed Republican Garden City Council Member, 1979–1985;
Bryan County Commission Chairman since 2005 [8]
  December 10, 1987 December 14, 1989 E. James "Jimmy" Burnsed Republican
  December 14, 1989 January 6, 1992 Ralph O. Kessler Republican
  January 6, 1992 January 3, 1994 LeRoy "Roy" L. Crager Republican Garden City Council Member, 1981–1992; 2000–2002
  January 3, 1994 January 8, 1996 LeRoy "Roy" L. Crager Republican
  January 8, 1996 January 5, 1998 James "Jay" W. Harrell Republican Garden City Council Member, 1969–1987;
1989–1992; 2000–2002
  January 5, 1998 January 2, 2000 Dean Kicklighter Republican Garden City Council Member, 1996–1998;
Chatham County Commissioner, since 2000 [9]
  January 2, 2000 January 6, 2002 Ralph O. Kessler Republican
  January 6, 2002 January 5, 2004 Anthony "Andy" Quinney Republican Garden City Council Member, 1998–2000
  January 5, 2004 January 7, 2008 Anthony "Andy" Quinney Republican
  January 7, 2008 September 25, 2009 [10] Anthony "Andy" Quinney Republican
October 5, 2009 [11] January 2, 2012 Tennyson Holder Garden City Council Member, 1992–2009

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

Council Members

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Past and present council members are:

Willie L. Adams 1959–1961
Rupert W. Bazemore 1955–1961 Mayor of Garden City, 1961–1973
Viola W. Bell [12] 1985–2000
Don Bethune Since 2010
Frederick Dekle Blackburn, Jr. 1988–1992
M.O. Blackburn, Jr. 1954–1959
M.O. Blackburn, Sr. 1940–1941; 1943–1945
John R. Blackwell 1949–1953
I. Clifford Blount, Jr. 1947–1949
Bobby G. Bohler 1973–1975
Jessie L. Bowman 1953–1958
Clark F. Branch 1959–1961
James A. Bridgforth 1961–1965; 1969–1971
Elbert N. Brown 1953–1954
Ernest M. Brown, Sr. 1961–1973
Robert "Bob" Bryant, Sr. 1996–2004 Georgia House Representative, since 2005
E. James "Jimmy" Burnsed 1979–1985 Mayor of Garden City, 1985–1989
Chair of the Bryan County Commission, since 2005
J. Lawrence Cavanah 1961–1969; 1971–1973
Stanley Childers 1996–2000
Keith Cox 1971–1978
LeRoy "Roy" L. Crager 1981–1992; 2000–2002 Mayor of Garden City, 1992–1996
Lois T. Dasher [13] 1978–1985
James M. "Jimmie" DeLoach 1971–1973 Mayor of Garden City, 1973–1979
Chatham County Commissioner, 1980–1992
J.A. "Sonny" Dixon 1985–1988 Georgia House Representative, 1989–1997
Ralph V. Dodd 1971–1981
Fred S. Elliott 1959–1961
C. Marvin Exley 1949–1959
Welcome G. Farr 1961–1967
Kay A. Ford 1996–1998 Member of the School Board
Alton D. Fryer 1947–1958
W.J. Fussell 1947–1949
Scott A. George 2012 to Present Mayor Pro Temp
Dan W. Gray 1941–1943
L. Fred Griffin, III 1989–1992
Joseph W. Guill 1943–1947
Gwyn L. Hall, Sr. 1996–1998; Since 2004
James "Jay" W. Harrell, Jr. 1969–1987; 1989–1992; 2000–2002 Mayor of Garden City, 1996–1998
Amos C. Hathaway 1957–1959
Steve T. Hattrich, Jr. 1965–1971
Edwin B. Hemby 1943–1947
Lawrence E. Hill, Jr. 1973–1987
Claude Hodges, Jr. 1973–1977
A. Tennyson Holder 1992–2009 Mayor of Garden City, since 2009
Connie S. Holland 1994–1996
Darrel Hutcheson 1977–1987
J.Q. James 1945–1947
M.C. Jones 1947–1949
R. Bowen Jones 1971–1992; since 2000
William B. Jones 1939–1945
Ralph O. Kessler 1975–1979 Mayor of Garden City, 1979–1985; 1989–1992
Bessie Kicklighter Since 2002
Dean Kicklighter 1996–1998 Mayor of Garden City, 1998–2000
Chatham County Commissioner, since 2000
W.A. Marks 1940–1943
John C. McCord 1939–1945
S.L. McDonald 1939–1941
William Durward Motes Since 2004
Wendell P. Neville 1961–1965
Warren F. Oglesby, Sr. 1949–1954 Mayor of Garden City, 1954–1961
Marion F. Peterson 1967–1969
W. Roy Poe 1952–1953; 1955–1957
Anthony "Andy" Quinney 1998–2000 Mayor of Garden City, 2002–2009
Ted O. Romine 1969–1971
J. Arlie Rowe 1939–1941 Mayor of Garden City, 1949–1954
George A. Seckinger 1961–1965
Misty Bethune Selph 2006–2010
Judy Moore Shuman Since 2002
Carlie L. Smith 1965–1969
Edsel Smith 1965–1971
James "Jimmy" Lee Spilliards 2000–2004; since 2009
Jack C. Stafford 1961–1969
Ron Stephens 1994–1996 Georgia House Representative, since 1997
Carl G. Story 1949–1953
Shelby Strickland 1996–2000
H.W. Tuten 1939–1940; 1941–1943
John Underwood 1969–1971
Hal A. Van Sickle 1940–1941; 1945–1949; 1954–1959
Robert Edward Wilder 1987–1992; 1994–1996; 2000–2002
Earl Wilson 2002–2004

Footnotes

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  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

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