Special election being finalized following the death of Boo Mullins

A special election currently is in the process of being finalized around City Hall, one month after the passing of longtime District 5 City Councilman Boo Mullins.

Based on this year's election calendar, the special election would be part of the Nov. 1 general election this fall. The ballot item, of course, would only appear on the voting screens of people registered in District 5 in the city.

Milledgeville's six City Council districts are all heavily gerrymandered along racial lines. District 5 is one of the threee "African-American districts."

Milledgeville's population is roughly 49 percent white and 45 percent African-American, according to the most recently available Census data.

District 5 includes everything north of Montgomery Street (think in terms of the Georgia College library) and south of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive between Columbia and Jefferson streets, as well as many of the homes south of Carrington Woods and east of North Columbia Street (think in terms of the neighborhood across the street from the old Northside Piggly Wiggly shopping center). Also included is parts of Carrington Woods and most of the homes off the homes off of Dunlap Road prior to getting to Carrington Woods (Leo Court, etc.).

Whichever candidate ends up winning the race essentially will have a full three-year term. Mullins just won another four-year term last November, defeating challenger Jessica McQuain 161-85.

The special election will be the first around City Hall since 2000. Coincidentally, that race involved Mullins. Following the death of previous District 5 City Councilman Louis "Blade" Huley in late August of 2000, multiple candidates qualified for the special election. Mullins ultimately prevailed, and he then went on to win re-election five times.

The logistics of the special election will become more clear following a called City Council meeting next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. According to the agenda, the meeting will center around a "first reading of an ordinance for the purpose of calling a special election for the office of Aldermen of District Five of the City of Milledgeville, Georgia to fill the unexpired term of Alderman Richard “Boo” Mullins, Jr.; to set the qualifying dates and fee and for other purposes."

Huley served on the City Council between 1992 until his death in 2000. In other words, whoever wins November's District 5 City Council election will be only the third person to represent the district in the last 30 years.