Of four positions contested for both city and county councils last week, only Michael Smith broke through to defeat an incumbent as he collected 158 more votes than long-term Wards 2 and 3 representatives Alvin Butts on Eatonton City Council.
Smith revealed this week that he and Butts spoke shortly before election results were released last Tuesday night.
“I had a short conversation with Mr. Alvin Butts … and he invited me to reach out to him, whether it went my way or his way. And I told him I would,” Smith said. “So, I’ll be doing that in the near future to just pick his brain and see what things I need to do and how I need to do them.
“I know Alvin has been doing this a long time, and I know there were some things that he had to go through when he first did it. So, I just want to see what things I’ll have to do, and I appreciate that he was gracious enough to open himself up for me like that.”
Butts will remain in office for the rest of this year.
“The most information that I have right now is I know I have a class that I’ll be going to later in February that’s for new elected officials and things of that nature. I’ll be taking that course,” Smith confirmed. “But as far as a date of when I’ll start, it’ll be sometime in January, I don’t have a date yet.”
Regardless, Smith said he’s “excited about the opportunity” and “looking forward to doing what’s right for our community.”
As a first-time elected official, Smith recognizes the learning curve will be steep, but he hopes to blend in quickly with established council members Mylle Mangum (Ward 1), James Gorley (Ward 2), Janie Reid (Ward 2), Teresa Doster (Ward 4), and Marie Rainey (Wards 1 and 4), as well as Chip Walker (Councilmember at Large and Mayor Pro Tem) and Mayor John Reid, who both retained their positions after defeating challengers in the election.
As of Monday evening, Smith said he had not yet heard from any of the other city council members.
“I think our council has done some great things, but I think I’ll add to it. I think I’ll bring some new ideas,” he said. “I think it’s time for a new voice, and I’m excited about the opportunity.”
Among issues to pursue once given the chance, Smith said he would like to look into getting more roads repaved and some sidewalks repaired. He said he’s also concerned with addressing blight in Eatonton.
“I think we need to look into finding these property owners and getting these things taken care of because a beautiful community is a great community to live in, and while our community is beautiful, there are so many other things that we can do to make it even better.”
Throughout his campaign, Smith often spoke of a need for greater transparency at Eatonton City Hall. He confirmed that remains a priority for him as a new council member.
“I want to make sure there’s transparency with us so that we can let the community know what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and things of that nature. And I think that’s an opportunity for us, and I believe if we do that, there will be, I guess a greater trust factor, because nowadays there’s not a lot of trust between the community and politicians. And I want to squash that thought. So, transparency is big for me,” Smith said. “I mean, we live in a small community. Everybody pretty much knows everybody, so why not let folks know what’s going on in our local government?”
Overall, Smith said he’s very grateful for the opportunity and vows not to let down those who placed their faith in him and his ideas.
“I want to thank the citizens in Wards 2 and 3 for having the trust in me to give their vote and have that confidence that I can go in and do a good job. And that’s exactly what I’m planning to do,” he declared. “And it’s not just the folks in Wards 2 and 3, because I got a lot of encouragement from a lot of different folks in the city.
“And I certainly want to thank my family, my wife Stacy especially,” he added. “I truly want to thank her. We’ve been married for 36 years, so yeah, we’ve been together a long time and she’s always had my back and been in my corner. And just my family, my parents, my sister, and my sisters-in-law, and both my kids, they’ve had my back this whole time. And I also want to thank Pastor Lowe and Mr. Richard Garrett. We started this journey together and it didn’t end up the way that they wanted, but they encouraged me. We encouraged each other through it all.”
Bottom line, Smith said he feels up to the challenge of taking his seat on Eatonton’s next city council.
“I do. I do. I think I’m ready for it. I prayed about it. I talked with my pastor about it, talked with my family and the encouragement that I received from them as well as folks in the community was just amazing,” he said. “I knew that I could go in there and make a difference and I believe I will.”