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Do you know your Councilman, Ward or Precinct? Check the map below to find out.
The City of Vidalia is broken into four wards. We elect a councilmember from each ward, one councilmember city wide, and the Mayor is elected city wide.
Kailey Dees is the councilmember elected at-large (city wide). Cecil Thompson is elected from ward 1. Edward Tyson is elected from ward 2. John Raymond Turner is elected from ward 3. Lisa Chesser is elected from ward 4.
The City Council meets on the second Monday of each month. Meetings are held in the council chambers at the Municipal Annex located at 302 First Street East in Vidalia at 6:00 pm. The public is encouraged and welcome to attend. Opportunity for public comment is provided at the beginning of each meeting. If any citizen wants to be included on the agenda they may do so by calling the City Manager's office at 537-8718 and giving the information for the agenda.
City Council members are also appointed to a variety of committees. These committees include; Police and Fire, Water and Sewer, Finance and Personnel, Streets, and Administration. The City Manager and Department Heads meet regularly with the elected officials to report activities and receive direction. These interactions insure that the elected body remains involved with the daily operations that directly impact the community.
All meetings are open to the public. Notifications of meetings are posted on the front and back doors of city hall and also given to the media for announcement and attendance. The city council members are members of our community and are always available to the citizens.
MEET YOUR CITY COUNCIL
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| Councilwoman Kailey Dees |
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Elected in 2016, Kailey Dees represents the City of Vidalia as Councilwoman at Large.
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| Ward 1 - Councilman William Cecil Thompson |
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| Elected in 2002, Councilman Thompson was born and raised in Vidalia. A local business owner, Cecil Thompson had a special interest in becoming a councilman. Knowing that this is the area he would raise a family, Cecil wanted to contribute to the direction Vidalia took. Councilman Thompson is married to his high school sweetheart Melinda Mixon. Together they have one daughter, Brogran, who was born on Christmas Day, 1995. In addition to his business and duties as Councilman, Cecil is also a member of the Shriners and Lodge 330.
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| Ward 2 - Councilman J. Edward Tyson |
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| My name is J. Edward Tyson. I was born in Macon, GA and have lived in Vidalia since October of 1970. I am married to a beautiful woman, Mary Anne Tyson, and we have two sons. Edward, who lives in Macon, and John who lives in Vidalia.
I ran for City Council because Vidalia had been good to me and my family. I wanted to give back something to my community. I’m retired from Darby Bank as President with over 30 years of service. I was selected as Vidalia Citizen of the year in 1982. I am past President of the Vidalia Kiwanis Club, Past President of the Chamber of Commerce and the Past Chairman of the Vidalia Development Authority. I am still active in many community affairs and teach Sunday school and sing in adult choir at the First Methodist Church of Vidalia.
I have enjoyed serving since January of 1997. We are all put here to serve and my love and concern for the people of Vidalia make my job as Council member most rewarding.
~ J. Edward Tyson
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| Ward 3 - Mayor Pro-Tem, John Raymond Turner |
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| Councilman John Raymond Turner was born in Metter, GA but moved here with his family when he was six months old and has called Vidalia "home" ever since. Councilman Turner is married to his wife, Lilly, and together they have one son, Donald Keith.
Councilman Turner ran for City Council so that he could make a positive difference in the community. His efforts don't stop there, as he is Chairman of the Concerned Citizens Coalition, 1st Vice President of the Boys and Girls Club, and, President of the Adult Literacy Board at Southeastern Technical College. Councilman Turner offers this message: "The City of Vidalia is a good community to live in and raise your family. I believe the City of Vidalia has a well managed form of government. The Mayor and Council try to provide services to all the citizens of Vidalia and use the citizen tax dollars wisely. I am proud to be a part of the City of Vidalia Council."
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| Ward 4 - Councilperson Lisa Chesser |
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Councilwoman Lisa Chesser was elected to the City Council in 2007. She retired from the legal field where she worked for over 18 years as a paralegal. She is a 1985 graduate of Vidalia High School and a graduate of Swainsboro Technical College. Prior to being elected to the city council, Councilwoman Chesser spent many years volunteering and substitute teaching in our city school system where her children attended. Her passion and love for people, together with a desire to give back and serve our community motivated her to become involved in our City’s government. Councilwoman Chesser is married to Hal and they have two children, Abbie and Doug. They are members of Vidalia Presbyterian Church where she has taught Sunday School for many years and is an elder of the church.
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Each councilperson's ward is dipicted by a different color.
The red and blue areas represent the two precincts of Vidalia for City Elections (mayor, council and schoolboard).
County and State elections differ from this map, please contact your local registrar for your voting location. Toombs County Registrar is 526-8226 and Montgomery County Registrar is 583-4296.
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