2025 South Georgia Elections

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Tuesday, Nov. 4 was Election Day! Several South Georgia cities and counties had races on the ballot in addition to the statewide Public Service Commission race.

Visit WALB’s Election Results page to see who won, who lost and who will head to a runoff in our local elections.

This year’s elections are municipal, meaning almost everything on the ballot will affect your community. Georgia voters found mayoral races, city council seats, school board seats, referendums and more on this ballot.

Polls opened on Tuesday, Nov. 4 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Major South Georgia races

Pearson

The city of Pearson has their mayoral race and two city council posts on the ballot this year.

The mayoral candidates were Jason Joyner and Jose Carlos Mejia. Jason Joyner won the race with 214 total votes (60.6%).

The previous mayor of Pearson, Robert “Buster” Johnson, resigned in September following his arrest by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) in February 2025.

|READ MORE: Pearson mayor resigns months after his arrest by the GBI|

In addition to the mayoral race, Pearson City Council Posts 4 and 5 were voted on.

There was only one candidate listed on the ballot for Post 4 – Michael “Coolie” Joyner. For Post 5, the candidates were Richard Wade Carver and Shonna Elaine Mitchem. Richard Wade Carver won that seat with 220 votes (66.7%).

Enigma

In Enigma, three city council posts, a referendum and the mayor’s seat were on the ballot.

City Council Posts 1, 3 and 4 were voted on this year. There were three candidates for Post 1: Keith Barfield, James “Jim” Butler and Dennis Pitts.

For Post 3, incumbent candidate Ronald Harbin went up against Sandra Buchanan, who won the seat with 127 votes.

In Post 4, the only candidate listed on the ballot was incumbent Rick Maluda.

The Enigma mayoral race had two candidates: Jimmy Bennet and Wayne Chin. Wayne Chin narrowly won the race, earning 96 votes (52.5%).

Enigma voters also had a referendum on their ballots. The city asked voters whether or not liquor should be allowed to be sold in the city limits of Enigma. Specifically, “Shall the issuance of licenses for the package sale of distilled spirits or liquor within the city limits of Enigma, Georgia be approved?”

Just four votes apart (98/94), the city voted “No,” so liquor will not be allowed to be sold within Enigma’s city limits.

Edison

Edison voters saw three local races on their ballots. The races were for City Council Post 1, City Council Post 2 and Mayor.

Only one candidate was listed under each city council post. Incumbent Rena Timpson was on the ballot for Post 1, and incumbent Curtis Adams was on the ballot for Post 2.

For the mayoral race in Edison, incumbent Shirley Worthy faced Sheryl Rowe. Shirley Worthy won that race with 128 votes (54.7%).

Cordele

The city of Cordele had three city commission races on the ballot, each with several candidates.

Four candidates were up for the Ward 2 seat on the commission. They were Bernard Fenn, Brenda Jones, Ulysses Morgan, Jr. and incumbent Royce Reeves, Sr.

Reeves was suspended from his commission seat in February via an executive order issued by Governor Brian Kemp.

|READ MORE: Executive order suspends Cordele City Commissioner Royce Reeves from office|

In Ward 3, another three candidates were on the ballot. They were incumbent Isaac Owens, George Singletary and Jack Wood.

Cordele’s City Commissioner At Large was also on the ballot with seven candidates. The candidates were Carl Brown, Sr.; incumbent Joshua Antwan Deriso; Nikitoe Lester; Dravian Mcgill, Sr.; Ronald Michael, Sr.; J. Michelle Murray, and Joe Wright.

Blakely

There were two city council races on the ballot in Blakely.

For District 1, Post 1 Councilmember, the candidates were Torre Mills and D’Andre O’Mar Williams. D’Andre O’Mar Williams won that seat, earning 501 votes (79.7%).

For District 2, Post 1 Councilmember, incumbent Brad Clenney and Darrell “Doc” Ceasar were the candidates. Darrell “Doc” Ceasar won the seat with 315 votes (52.2%).

Camilla

In Camilla, four city council races were on the ballot: District 1, Post 2; District 1, Post 3; District 2, Post 2, and District 2, Post 3.

Incumbent Raimond “Dewayne” Burley was the only candidate listed on the ballot for District 1, Post 2. For District 1’s Post 3, incumbent Oscar Maples, Jr. faced Venterra Marshay Pollard.

In the District 2, Post 2 race, Jeremiah Florence went up against incumbent W.D. “Danny” Palmer III. For District 2’s Post 3, Torry Jackson faced incumbent Azalee Vereen.

Statewide

Five people make up the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), the body responsible for regulating various utility services in Georgia.

A statewide special election was held for two seats on Georgia’s influential Public Service Commission, which is responsible for approving any utility rate increases across the state.

Two Democrats successfully unseated two Republicans on the majority GOP commission:

• In District 2, the candidates were incumbent Republican Tim Echols (R-incumbent) and Democratic challenger Alicia M. Johnson.
• In District 3, the candidates were incumbent Republican Fitz Johnson and Democratic challenger Peter Hubbard, who defeated fellow Democrat Keisha Sean Waites earlier this year.

The Georgia PSC determines the rates that utility companies, such as Georgia Power, can charge their customers for electricity, natural gas and telecommunications services.

Here are its other duties:

• Oversees the quality and reliability of services provided by utilities.
• Reviews and approves long-range plans for power production and other resource management from utility companies.
• Handles consumer complaints and inquiries related to utility services and provides information on assistance programs.
• Involved in pipeline safety regulations and the Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.