Mayor Julie Smith Seeks Re-election

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

JULIE SMITH TO SEEK THIRD TERM AS TIFTON MAYOR

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Julie B. Smith, Tifton’s first female mayor, plans to seek a third term as mayor of the city.

“Serving as mayor of my hometown has been an incredible honor. I hope the residents and businesses of our community will allow me to serve for another four years. We have numerous projects in the works that I’d like to see to fruition, and I hope to continue to represent Tifton as we move into the next few years,” Smith said in a press release.

Co-owner and associate broker of a local real estate agency, Smith has served on Tifton City Council for 12 years – eight years as mayor and four years as the District 4 council representative. She was first elected mayor in 2015, defeating incumbent Jamie Cater. In her election for a second mayoral term, Smith had no opposition.

From 1996-2002, Smith was executive director of Tifton’s Main Street program.

Smith said she is especially proud of the city implementing the Diversion, Equity and Inclusion resolution and creating the Urban Redevelopment Area (URA) and the appointment of a URA board that underscores her vision of "One Tifton,” where "all residents and parts of town are served equally and fairly."

The recent $12 million investment of private corporation IDP Inc. for work-force housing and the adjacent Anthony Bateman Youth Center are just the beginning of ongoing work in the URA area of South Tifton, Smith said.

"In addition, the City of Tifton is in a financially strong position, and many of the departments, including police and fire, have become nationally certified with extensive training and recruitment,” she said.

Smith has served for the past eight years on the Tifton-Tift County Development Authority, and has served on the Tift County Airport Authority, the Tifton-Tift County Board of Health, and various non-profit agencies. She is a past president of the Tiftarea Board of Realtors and created the Tourism Outreach Marketing Group, which hosts the annual Rhythm & Ribs BBQ festival as well as other events.

As mayor, Smith has been very active in the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA), an advocacy and policy organization representing Georgia’s 537 municipalities. This month she is completing her one-year term as GMA president, a first for a Tifton mayor.

Because of her GMA role, Smith said Tifton has been brought into the spotlight on a statewide and national level.

“Attending the National League of Cities meetings and networking with municipal leaders from across our country has given me perspective and contacts that have enhanced my ability to lead our community, and several visits to Washington, D.C., resulted in creating significant relationships with our congressional leadership,” Smith said.

She and her husband Doug live in Tifton’s Historic District and attend First Presbyterian Church of Tifton.

Qualifying will be held in August for this year’s November city elections for mayor, District 2 council seat (currently held by Jack Folk) and District 4 council seat (currently held by M. Jay Hall). The four-year terms for each seat begins in January.

The qualifying period for potential candidates begins at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 21, and ends at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Aug.25.

GREAT RACE RETURNING TO DOWNTOWN TIFTON

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

"The Great Race" is coming back to Tifton on the same night as the annual Rock the Block celebration.

On Saturday, June 24, the Friendly City once again will host the first overnight stop on the 2023 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Coker Tire.

The Great Race, the world’s premier old car rally, will bring 120 of the world’s finest antique automobiles to Downtown Tifton, with the first car rolling onto Main Street at 4:45 p.m. Opening ceremonies will begin at 4:30 p.m. on June 24.

The race starts that day in St. Augustine, Fla., and finishes in Colorado Springs, Colo., on July 2. The nine-day, 2,300-mile adventure will travel to 19 cities in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado.

Tifton will be the only stop in Georgia.

“We are thrilled to have the Great Race teams back in Tifton. We were named 'Favorite Overnight Stop' in 2017 when we first hosted this group. We’ve got plans to wow them again with our Southern hospitality,” said event coordinator Angela Elder of the Tifton-Tift County Tourism Association.

Teams and cars from Japan, England, Australia, Germany, Canada, and every corner of the United States will converge with vintage automobiles dating as far back as 1916.

“There are more than 500 people just in our entourage from all around the world,” Great Race Director Jeff Stumb said.

The Great Race, which began 40 years ago, is not a speed race, but a time-speed-distance rally. The vehicles, each with a driver and navigator, are given precise instructions each day that detail every move down to the second. They are scored at secret checkpoints along the way and are penalized one second for each second either early or late. As in golf, the lowest score wins.

Cars start – and hopefully finish – one minute apart if all goes according to plan. The biggest part of the challenge other than staying on time and following instructions is getting an old car to the finish line each day, organizers say.

Each stop on the Great Race is free to the public, and spectators will be able to visit with the participants and look at the cars. Kids and kids at heart are invited to climb in the cars for a first-hand look.

“It really is a beautiful sight to see all these amazing cars lined up along Main Street. The cars and their teams are all unique. It’s definitely worth your time to come on down and see this,” Elder said.

Cars built no later than 1974 are eligible, with most entries having been manufactured before World War II. The event’s main sponsors are Hemmings Motor News, Hagerty Drivers Club, and Coker Tire.

“When the Great Race pulls into a city it becomes an instant festival,” Stumb said. “Last year we had several overnight stops with more than 10,000 spectators on our way to having 250,000 people see the Great Race during the event.”

The event was started in 1983 by Tom McRae and it takes its name from the 1965 movie, "The Great Race," which starred Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood, and Peter Falk. The movie is a comedy based on the real-life 1908 automobile race from New York to Paris.

The annual Rock the Block will be hosted on the same night in Downtown Tifton. Folks can hear live music from the Velcro Pygmies and Kason Layne Band. There will also be kids activities and food vendors.

The original "The Great Race" movie from 1965 will also be playing in the Tift Theatre. All events are free to attend and will last until 10 p.m.

For information, contact the Tifton Tourism office at 229-382-8700.

KTB NAMES 'BEAUTY SPOTS'

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Keep Tift Beautiful, a city-county citizens advisory board promoting recycling, community gardening, litter abatement, and outdoor beautification, has named its “Beauty Spots” for June.

Pictured above is the home of Mary Dunn Jones at 288 Williams Gibbs Road, this month’s residential Beauty Spot. Pictured below is the month’s commercial Beauty Spot: Berry Good Farms at 930 Williams Gibbs Road.

From left are Cody Dixon, the Exchange Club public safety chair; Capt. Cliff Henderson; Investigator Mitchel Watson; Tiffany Watson; and Sheriff Gene Scarbrough.

SHERIFF’S OFFICE INVESTIGATOR NAMED EXCHANGE CLUB’S OFFICER OF YEAR

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Exchange Club of Tifton has named Investigator Mitchel Watson with the Tift County Sheriff’s Office as the 2023 Officer of the Year.

A law enforcement officer for eight years, Watson is described as “the type of law enforcement officer any community would be proud of” – a hard worker who never complains and who always strives to complete tasks given to him.

His superiors say Watson has proved himself over and over and earned his reputation as a hard worker and fast learner.

Watson moved into the Criminal Investigations Division of the Sheriff’s Office six years ago, eventually becoming the primary investigator for sex crimes. He works cases such as child molestation, rape, and computer crimes. Those who have worked alongside him say he is patient and very thorough.

Watson said he has a passion for working with children, and it is an honor for him to uphold the laws that protect them. He is a member of the GBI’s Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Tift Judicial Circuit’s Sexual Assault Protocol Committee.

Watson and his wife Tiffany have two children, Aaron and Konner.

GARDEN CLUB OBSERVES

NATIONAL GARDEN WEEK

In celebration of National Garden Week (June 4-10), Camellia Garden Club designed and delivered floral arrangements to the Tifton-Tift County Public Library, the Coastal Plain Regional Library, the downtown Tifton Post Office, and the Ty Ty Post Office.

Pictured at the Tifton-Tift County Public Library are, from left, club members Betty Jean Prince, Linda Frazier, Library Circulation Supervisor Angela Newbern, Library Branch Manager Karen Thompson, and club members Linda Chandler, Genie McCook, and Donna Kennard.

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

RIBBON CUTTING

Walmart Supercenter Grand Reopening

1830 U.S. Highway 82 W., Tifton

June 2

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

“Daffodil” a female kitty, is among the adorable pets available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter. To adopt Daffodil and to see other pets available, visit the shelter between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

Pets of the Week are sponsored by:

Branch's Veterinary Clinic

205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055

TIFTON PLACES HIGH TAX ON WINE SALES

~ JUNE 8, 1906

Tifton City Council passed an ordinance June 8, 1906, placing a $10,000 tax on the sale of domestic wine within the city. That tax from 1906 is equivalent to approximately $337,000 today.