Eight candidates qualified Thursday for this year’s municipal elections, with contested races now confirmed for mayor and the Ward 2 council seat.
Democrats Leroy Brooks and Stephen Jones each made his candidacy official after spending weeks, even months, already on the campaign trail.
Brooks, 71, is serving his 11th term on the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors and touts his experience in government as his best selling-point.
“I think I’m the most qualified candidate for the mayor’s race,” Brooks said. “… The wisdom I’ve gained at this juncture in my life, I’m more steadfast.”
If elected, he wants to spend his first 60 days as mayor assessing city government with department heads and the council, then make a plan for how to best move forward. He also wants to bring in myriad voices from the community to be a part of that process.
“I think I can change the perception of what’s going on in the community,” he said. “… I think those councilmen have squandered the opportunity to move the city forward. In some instances, it’s been more about their personal egos, the things they want, rather than meeting with the people in the community.”
Jones, 55, has served as Ward 5 councilman since 2016, serving a brief stint on the Columbus Municipal Board of Trustees before that.
He has worked as a Realtor with Re/Max for 17 years and was president of the Golden Triangle Real Estate Association.
With due respect to Brooks, Jones feels he is most qualified to be mayor, and he said Thursday his administration would prioritize public safety — specifically providing the police and fire departments more resources and interrupting the “cycle of crime” in the city.
He said he would push for a complete paving plan and an updated assessment for road needs citywide.
“I believe I can get more done as mayor that would benefit all of the citizens,” Jones said.
Mayor Keith Gaskin announced last year he would not seek a second term.
Qualifying for municipal elections began Thursday and will run through 5 p.m. Jan. 31. Party primaries are April 1 and the general election is June 3.
Ward 1
Tommie Smith qualified as a Democrat in Ward 1.
Smith, 68, is a retired truck driver who served 20 years in the U.S. Army. He was born and raised in Columbus and said he returned in 1994 after retiring from the service.
If elected, he said he will prioritize making the city look better.
“I see so many areas that look so bad,” he said. “… Old abandoned houses … that are never going to become anything. Old abandoned cars in the yard. We just need to clean the city up and help maintain it.”
Ward 2
A pair of Democrats, Laisha “Ms. She-She” O’Neal and Roderick Smith, threw their names in for the Ward 2 council seat.
O’Neal, 47, is a lifelong Columbus resident and has worked as a cosmetologist for 18 years.
She said she wants to help lower crime, as well as unify and “clean up” her ward. If elected, O’Neal said she would focus on bolstering youth and senior citizen programs. Specifically, she wants to bring East Columbus Gym “back in use.”
“I want to offer the people of Ward 2 help and hope,” she said. “… I’m eager to work with our new mayor and city council.”
Smith, 32, also a lifelong resident, is a former emergency management employee who opened Kids Choice, a costume rental business for children’s parties, in 2017. He also coaches and officiates youth sports.
As the grandson of the late community activist Sara Deloach, Smith said he was “born into politics.”
If elected, he said he would focus on transparency in government, economic growth and making the city safer for youth.
“It’s time for a new beginning,” Smith said. “… Once I become a councilman, I won’t be hard to find. People will have my city-issued cell phone number, and they can count on (me) to be there and answer the phone.”
Ward 3
Incumbent Republican Rusty Greene will seek a second term in Ward 3.
Greene, 62, was first elected in 2021. Now a real estate agent with Doris Hardy and Associates, he is a former assistant principal at Caledonia Middle School and Columbus High School, and he was also a baseball coach and athletic director at CHS.
“I think we’ve got some unfinished business,” Greene said Thursday. “I’d like to think that I can help.
“Any time something new happens, you’ve got new hope,” he added, referring to the new mayor and administration coming in July.
Ward 5
Sedrick Foster, 51, is running as a Democrat in Ward 5.
The former truck driver, musician and sound technician worked briefly for the police department in the late 1990s, he said. Now, he said he works security and as an investigator for a local law firm.
His campaign is focusing on curbing youth crime, intervening with at-risk youth with sports and academic opportunities. That starts with city leaders, he said.
“The biggest thing is getting out there and talking with the kids, Foster said. “They’ll respect you more if you talk to them.”
Ward 6
Jason Spears, 45, is running as a Republican in Ward 6. He owns JDS Wealth Strategies in Columbus and served 10 years on the CMSD board before being appointed in 2022 to the Columbus Redevelopment Authority.
In 2023, he started the Golden Triangle Elite youth soccer club.
If elected to the council, he wants to find a way to better capitalize on the county’s economic development success so it can “flourish more in the city limits.” He believes he can also help the city better spend taxpayer dollars.
“I feel my strength is in finances,” Spears said. “For a long time, I’ve watched the city try to right the ship in that area. I feel like I’m ready to step forward and put systems in place that will get things moving in the right direction.”
Incumbent Jacqueline DiCicco previously told The Dispatch she does not intend to seek reelection.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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