Woodbury Hosts Candidate Meet And Greet for Mayor, City Council

Photo Courtesy City of Woodbury Facebook Page
MEET AND GREET – City Council and Mayoral candidates in the city of Woodbury got together to meet the public on September 30. Attending were, left to right:  Cathy Harbin, Post 2 Council candidate; Kay Williamson, Post 1 Council candidate; Dustin Hawkins, mayoral candidate; MeeMee Watson, Post 4 Council candidate; Tonya Moody, mayoral candidate; and Kera Summers, also a Post 4 Council candidate. Four candidates did not attend the event at the Woodbury Senior Center: incumbent Council members Bobby Jones and Amanda Hardnett, along with incumbent Mayor Ronnie Garrett and former Council member Jada Holmes, who is also running for mayor.

By JACK BAGLEY
The city of Woodbury hosted a “meet and greet” event for residents to meet some of the people running for City Council and for Mayor in the November 4th General Election. The event, held September 30 at the Woodbury Senior Center, featured six of the candidates standing for election.
The candidates who agreed to appear were Kay Williamson, running for City Council Post 1; Cathy Harbin, running for Post 2; Kera Summers and MeeMee Watson, running for Post 4; and Dustin Hawkins and Tonya Moody, both running for mayor. Candidates who did not attend were incumbent Council members Bobby Jones and Amanda Hardnett, along with incumbent Mayor Ronnie Garrett and former Council member Jada Holmes, both running for mayor.
The event was designed to allow attendees to hear from the candidates about why thy were running and what they wanted to do for Woodbury. Questions or comments from the citizens were not allowed.
Each candidate was given five minutes to speak to the citizens.
Council Post 1 candidate Kay Williamson said one of the nicest things about Woodbury is that it is a great place to live. She said one thing she wants to help bring to the City Council is teamwork. Communication was also mentioned as being essential for the Council, Williamson said. She added that transparency is very important to her as well.
Council Post 2 candidate Cathy Harbin told the assembly that she wants to help make sure that Woodbury can work together, benefiting the whole and not just a part. Harbin noted that the city has issues that will have to be overcome, listing the city’s inability to get state grants at the present time.
Council Post 4 candidate Kera Summers said Woodbury is a great place to raise a family. She wants to bring good things into Woodbury and keep the good things that are in the city. She too emphasized the need for teamwork on the City Council and with the mayor. Positive growth was the main point Summers had to make, noting how the city is being hurt by being out of compliance with the state.
MeeMee Watson, also running for Council Post 4, said she wanted to bring back “civilization” to Woodbury and promised to be working for the citizens. She said she would not be who she is today without the city of Woodbury, and said she would be the person who worked for the citizens to make sure that what they wanted to be done, would be done. Structure and diversity were listed as needs for the city by Watson as well.
Mayoral Candidate Dustin Hawkins told the residents that he sees the rich history of Woodbury and he said he has developed a number of skills over the years that would make him an effective mayor. He has experience with large budgets and helping governments become compliant with regulations. He said that while Woodbury is small, it deserves the same level of care, accountability and love that any larger municipality may require. He said one of his top priorities is the police department and hiring a good police chief for the city.
Former mayor Tonya Moody, seeking another term in the office, said she felt that there were a lot of things that she and the Council during her term could have done better. Communication is essential between the City Council and the mayor, she said. Moody described her work in bringing the Internet to the city, as well as bringing two major grants into the city. She noted that following her first election, the entire city staff quit, and she had to rebuild the city services staff.
Early voting begins October 16, and the actual general election is scheduled for November 4th.

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