Mayor Mary Parham-Copelan seeks third term in Milledgeville’s mayoral race

Copelan pointed to "unfinished business" and said she is eager to compete.

MILLEDGEVILLE,  Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Monday marked the beginning of qualifying week for the mayoral race in Milledgeville, with current Mayor Mary Parham-Copelan throwing her hat in the ring for a third term. 

“I eat with you, I shop with you, I live with you,” she said. “I work here, so I know the things that you have to tackle, the things that you have to go through.”

When asked about her desire for a third term, the mayor pointed to “unfinished business” and said she is eager to complete.

“This time around, we started getting into some things that I wanted to see done, and we put those things forth, and now in my third term, I want to see the work completed,” she said. “There is so much we started under my leadership that needs to be finished.”

Reflecting on her achievements, she mentioned the city’s ongoing issues with water main breaks and leaks, which prompted the recent $55 million bond referendum for the water and sewage system. She pointed to the recent $55 million bond referendum for the water sewage system, saying it will allow every line in the city to be fixed.

“Now we have the ability because we invested over $1,000,000 in what we call a SCADA system,” she said. “The SCADA system alerts the water director. He looks at it. He can tell exactly when the tanks are going low, where the break might be, and they can get on it and fix it instantly. We had that happen just last week, and within hours they were able to fix it under pressure and everything was back to normal.”

The mayor says she’s also focused on improving community safety. She pointed out the implementation of a new body camera system for police officers. Once officers deploy their body cams, cameras are also activated inside their cars.

“It’s watching the surroundings outside, and we’re most proud of that,” she said. “We have put a lot of money into making sure that happens, because we know safety on both ends means a lot to everyone. It’s safety for the person that is being stopped or having to be incarcerated at that time because it protects the officers in their actions and what they’re doing.”

Her overarching goal, if re-elected, is straightforward:

“Continue the work on our infrastructure, and continue to strengthen our economy,” she said.

The mayoral election will be held on November 4.