52° and Clear
Image
The City Council elections this year are perhaps most interesting because there's not much interest.
In other words, voter turnout on Tuesday is expected to be especially low. As of mid-morning Thursday, for example, a mere 282 people had voted early and only 31 absentee ballots submitted. The primary reason for the lack of interest is the mayoral race, which is uncontested for the first time in recent memory. The mayors race is always the big-ticket item and the one race that all city voters can cast ballots for, regardless of district.
Election Day is Tuesday, and you can click HERE for much more information.
Please consider supporting this journalism initiative and supporting local news for the community with no paywalls ever. Just click HERE.
In District 6, incumbent Steve Chambers is seeking another term. Chambers was a council member back in the '90s before taking some time off to focus on raising his children and focus on his business – Chambers Cleaners. Chambers then came back in 2005 and won election, and he's sat on the City Council ever since. Much like District 5 incumbent Boo Mullins, Chambers is touting "the way that we've come together as a council" and the solid working relationship between the current members of the City Council.
Meanwhile, political newcomer Daisy Childs is the challenger. Childs first move to Milledgeville more than 20 years ago to work as an environment compliance consultant with Rheem. Childs addresses many of her concerns and issues in the video immediately below.
The six City Council districts are definitely gerrymandered, and the goal of the gerrymandering is to ensure three African-American council members and three white council members, with the idea that the city of Milledgeville's population is roughly 49 percent white and 45 percent African-American, according to the most recently available Census data.
District 6 is one of the "white districts," which makes Chambers the prohibitive favorite and Childs an underdog. District 6 includes the Heritage Road/Cords Bridge Road neighborhoods across from Walmart, the majority of Carrington Woods, the Karen Circle "Masseeville neighborhood," as well as the country club neighborhood.
