Aragon’s new council
Aragon’s new city council will be getting busy on Thursday night for their first full meeting since June.
The Aragon City Council is now back to a full group following a ceremony this morning at city hall swearing in two new council members and the mayor.
Council members Debora Pittman, Hunter Spinks and Mayor Garry Baldwin took the oath of office Thursday morning, Nov. 10, in a ceremony with Municipal Court Judge Terry Wheeler presiding.
The trio join council members Duel Mitchell and Tammy Mulkey to take up the seats following a turbulent year in the council, which included the resignation of a member, and the death of two mayors in a short span of months.
On Nov. 8, voters selected Pittman 174170 over Kelsey Collum to take up the seat left vacant by Curtis Burrus when he took over duties as mayor and was all set to run to keep the office until his death in August. He'd taken over the duties of mayor from Brenda Gazaway, who died while she held the office in June.
Some speculation over whether a run-off vote would be required for the seat was put forth Tuesday night following the return of election tallies, but after some consultation with the Aragon city and Polk County attorneys, the city charter's rule of majority wins in the election was upheld over state law.
After the oath was administered this morning, Pittman said her first goals as she takes on the role of council member is to work toward recreation programs, especially get- ting summer meals back for local youth.
"I'm already making a list of things to start working on for the kids and elderly," she said. "I'm working on the summer lunch program harder than anything to bring that back."
She, Spinks and Baldwin were all big on providing more recreation opportunities for the community at the youth and senior levels.
"It's the biggest thing I think we need to work on right now," Baldwin said. "We've got SPLOST money that is available that needs to be spent, and we have projects which will come up in the council meeting next week to start the ball rolling on recreation and get some work started."
Spinks, who rejoins the council unopposed in the seat left open by Kevin Prewett when he left office in June, also wants to do something about making the bus stops safer for students as they wait for rides to school.
"I would like to see the bus stops get addressed, get some lighting out there," he said. "They are standing out there in the dark, and people drive by can't see them."
They’ll hold their first meeting Thursday night.