Tifton City Manager on Administrative Leave

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Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Tifton, Georgia

Your Local Digital Newspaper for Tifton and the Greater Tiftarea

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

TIFTON PLACES CITY MANAGER ON ADMIN LEAVE

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Tifton City Council has placed City Manager Emily S. Beeman on indefinite administrative leave with pay.

Vice Mayor Josh Reynolds, who conducted Monday night's City Council meeting because the mayor is out of town, told the Tifton Grapevine that the city cannot make any further statements at this time until City Council members gather additional information regarding the situation.

Beeman, 35, is the city’s first female city manager who assumed the title on March 6, 2023.

She had served as interim city manager beginning in October 2022. Beeman joined the City of Tifton in November 2018 as human resources director and was named deputy city manager in February 2022.

She was the sole finalist for the city manager’s position following a nationwide search through The Mercer Group, a consulting company based in Athens. The city reviewed more than 29 applications and had interviewed four applicants.

“We feel like we have the best person right under this roof,” Mayor Julie B. Smith said at the time. The mayor said that council looked at experience versus enthusiasm when considering the candidates. Smith said Beeman brings “an excitement and a youthfulness” to the role of city manager.

Beeman attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College from 2008-2010, receiving an associate’s degree. She then attended Georgia Southwestern State University from 2011-2015, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration – human resources management.

Before joining the city, Beeman was a human resources generalist at Tift Regional Medical Center. She has been active in the Georgia Municipal Association, Georgia Local Government Personnel Association, and the Georgia City County Management Association.

In 2021, she received a state award for professional achievement for accomplishments in local government, helping implement changes benefitting city personnel and the community.

WOMAN DIES IN WRECK ON TIFTON ELDORADO ROAD

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

A 21-year-old Tifton woman died and two others were injured in a head-on collision early Monday on Tifton Eldorado Road, authorities said.

Sequoyah Johnson was pronounced dead at Tift Regional Medical Center shortly after the accident.

The wreck occurred at approximately 4:10 a.m. Monday on Tifton Eldorado Road near Hillside Drive, authorities said. Johnson's vehicle apparently drifted over her lane and struck the front of another vehicle going the opposite direction, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

A passenger in Johnson's vehicle was seriously injured and transported to the hospital. The driver of the other vehicle was said to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

CITY COUNCIL OK's APT. DEVELOPMENT, FULWOOD PARK BATHROOM RENOVATIONS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A 120-unit apartment complex off U.S. Highway 41 in Tifton got a green light Monday as Tifton City Council rezoned the development's site.

Council also accepted a bid to renovate the two bathrooms in Fulwood Park.

Crown Real Estate Development LLC, a Valdosta real estate development company, is planning to build three, three-story apartment buildings with one and two bedrooms, along with a "comprehensive amenity center" with a gated swimming pool.

The development will be on 7.88 acres at 2014 U.S. Highway 41 N., encompassing the site of the former Visiting Nurses building and also partially running along 20th Street toward the railroad tracks.

Council rezoned the site from residential professional/neighborhood commercial to mixed residential. The Tifton Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended approval of the rezoning.

Crown previously developed the 156-unit Apex of Tifton on Carpenter Road.

City Council also accepted a $138,700 bid from McRae Construction to renovate the two public bathrooms in Fulwood Park.

Jonathan Taylor, the city's special projects manager, said the bathrooms have been vandalized several times in recent years. The renovations will include "vandal-resistant" equipment, Taylor said.

The renovations are expected to be completed in September.

TWO AREA JUDGE CANDIDATES RECOMMENDED TO GOV

FOR TIFT SUPERIOR COURT

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The state Judicial Nominating Commission has recommended to Gov. Brian P. Kemp two area judges from which to choose a new Superior Court judge for the Tifton Judicial Circuit.

The commission sent the governor the names of Render M. Heard Jr., chief juvenile courts judge in the Tifton Judicial Circuit; and Ralph W. Powell, judge of the State Court of Worth County and of municipal courts for Poulan and Warwick.

Powell is also managing partner of the Wilmot & Powell law firm of Tifton and Sylvester.

Kemp will choose one of the men to become the Tifton Judicial Circuit's third judge. Earlier this year, the General Assembly approved adding a third Superior Court judge to the Tifton Circuit, the first additional judge in the circuit in more than 44 years. The Tifton Judicial Circuit includes Tift, Irwin, Turner, and Worth counties.

Last year, the Judicial Council of Georgia determined that the Tifton Judicial Circuit had the most pressing need in the state for an additional judge. Currently, Chief Judge Bill Reinhardt and Judge Melanie B. Cross are the only Superior Court judges handling cases in the four-county Tifton Circuit.

Reinhardt has said that the number of court cases have exploded during the four decades that the circuit has had only two judges.

Kemp is expected to name his choice for the new judge sometime this fall.

Photo by Bonnie Sayles

Rosemary Hightower, left, of Insurance Unlimited on Tift Avenue, with her dog BB, is the most recent recipient of a dog house fundraiser for canine rescue. Recipients of the dog house make a donation to Simply Grace Rescue, whose director Candas Bennett stands at right.

ARE YOU IN 'THE DOG HOUSE?!

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

A new fundraiser is making the rounds in Tifton with a colorful green and pink dog house in front yards of homes and businesses along with a sign stating, “You’re in the Dog House”!

For its removal, the recipient is asked to make a donation to Simply Grace Canine Rescue and has the option of choosing the next dog house recipient.

Rosemary Hightower of Insurance Unlimited on Tift Avenue was the most recent recipient of the dog house, but she was a very willing participant. Her dog BB was interested in checking out the new object on the lawn.

“I think it’s a wonderful charity, and my daughter Laura Roberts with Insurance Unlimited does too," Hightower said as Simply Grace Director Candas Bennett stood nearby. "Candas does a wonderful job. She’s a very hard worker; we’re proud of her.”

Bennett said she began fostering dogs and providing volunteer transport 10 years ago, and her volunteer work evolved into Simply Grace Rescue, a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

“I have no outside job,” she said. “Rescue is my life and my fulltime job.”

She is coming up on five years with her rescue, which includes a kennel to house the dogs, calls for rescues around the clock, and using her ability to coax frightened or lost dogs into her care.

Bennett currently has 32 dogs in her care, including seniors that will live out their days with her. In addition to Bennett and her husband, the nonprofit has two volunteers and three paid part-time college students.

Bennett often recruits pilots to fly dogs to adopters in other states.

“We have multiple pilots that volunteer their time, planes and fuel,” she said. “And we are already looking for more pilots.”

Donations may be made to Simply Grace Rescue through Cashapp: SimplyGraceRescue; Venmo: simply-grace-rescue; or PayPal: cb.animalwelfare@yahoo.com. Anyone wishing to sponsor a dog-house visit to a friend or neighbor may call 229-322-3564 to request placement.

Proud New Member of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce

William Bowen of Tifton is among Ameris Bancorp's board of directors and executive team that rang the opening bell Tuesday at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to celebrate the transfer of the bank's common stock listing to the NYSE from Nasdaq. Bowen, a director, is standing in the back at the right of Ameris Bancorp CEO H. Palmer Proctor Jr., who is at center at the podium.

TIFTON'S WILLIAM BOWEN HELPS RING NYSE OPENING BELL, MARKING AMERIS BANK'S MOVE FROM NASDAQ

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

A Tifton man helped ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Tuesday in New York City.

William Bowen of Tifton, who is on Ameris Bancorp's board of directors, was among the board members and executive team celebrating the transfer of the bank company's common stock listing to the NYSE from the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Ameris's common stock began trading on the NYSE on Tuesday and will continue to be traded under its current ticker symbol "ABCB."

"We are excited to announce the transfer of Ameris's common stock listing to the NYSE, the world's premier stock exchange," said H. Palmer Proctor Jr., Ameris chief executive officer. "We believe this strategic move will provide enhanced visibility and a strengthened market position for our company."

Ameris Bancorp is the parent of Ameris Bank, a state-chartered bank headquartered in Atlanta. Ameris operates 164 financial centers across the Southeast and manages $25.7 billion in assets.

Lawton E. Bassett III, a Tifton native who previously worked with Ameris in Tifton, is the company's president and chief banking officer.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL RESOURCE FAIR,

SCHOOL SUPPLY GIVEAWAY ON THURSDAY

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The annual Back-to-School Community Resource Fair and School Supply Giveaway, sponsored by the Tift County Commission on Children and Youth, will be 4-7 p.m. Thursday at the Tift County Recreation Department, 401 Victory Drive.

Students in grades kindergarten-12th will leave the event with many of the school supplies they need for the 2024-2025 school year, organizers say. Children must be present to receive supplies. No pick up allowed for others not in attendance. First come, first served.

Attendees will learn about community services and resources that are available to families. Representatives will be on site to share information.

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

"Licorice" is an adorable little lady ready to find her forever home. With her silky, black fur and bright, curious eyes, Licorice is a bundle of sweetness and playfulness. Come meet her and let her melt your heart, and see other pets available for adoption between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Tift County Animal Shelter on Highway 125 South, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

SECOND BRICK TOBACCO WAREHOUSE

BUILT ON TIFT AVENUE

~ JULY 24, 1925

A second brick tobacco warehouse on Tift Avenue was being readied July 24, 1925, for the seasonal opening of the tobacco market that week. The newer warehouse, built by Tifton Investment Co., was nearly a duplicate to the adjacent brick Banner Warehouse. Those twin brick warehouses are now the site of Fresco Italiano restaurant, apartments, and an event center.