Mayor J. Micheal Evans looks forward to first full year as Mayor of Centerville

CENTERVILLE — In 2026, J.Micheal Evans will serve his first year as Mayor of Centerville. 

Evans took office after he won a Special Election in June after former Mayor John Harley’s retirement. He then ran for Mayor again in November 2025 and won the race unopposed. 

Since then, Evans has held true to his campaign goals, one of which was to focus on public safety. He said there was an issue in the police department as there were several openings available. 

“Over the last six or seven months, Chief [Cedric] Duncan and his staff have been very successful in filling those slots,” he said. “I believe we [now] only have one open slot in the police department.” 

The same can be said for the Centerville Fire Department as Evans shared they only have one or two spots still open. 

The city has also achieved and started much needed road projects during Evans’ short time as Mayor. 

“We were able to pave Collins Avenue all the way from Elberta Road [to] Wilson Drive all the way around Houston Lake [Road], which is an area that really needed work on,” he said. “Then you see the project that’s going on Wilson Drive as far as widening that road, and that project is well underway.” 

Evans hopes the Wilson Drive road widening will be finished in the next 12 months.

Overall, Evans placed his public service to the citizens of Centerville in the highest regard. He said their biggest accomplishment over the past year was their investment in public safety. 

“We want citizens in Centerville to feel safe in their neighborhoods and in the public spaces,” he said. “Making sure that we have police officers on the road patrolling and being able to respond to any calls they get is really a big accomplishment.” 

Evans pointed out that with where the city is going, they have changed their mindset in customer service with their employees. He hopes that sentiment gets reciprocated by the citizens. 

“If you’re working a street crew and someone comes up to and talks to you, we expect you to treat them with respect or if you’re working in the city clerk’s office or water department and somebody comes in and asks a question, we expect you to treat them with respect,” he said. “Conversly, we expect our citizens to do the same. That has been our focus, and I think we’ve been very successful at that.” 

One big challenge Evans has faced is the moving of the Recycling Center. Evans said there were a lot of issues dealing with that including the city not accepting plastic anymore. He learned they were being dumped at the landfill and not being recycled, which he didn’t believe was fair to the citizens. 

“Explaining that to people and helping them understand why that decision was made has really been a challenge,” he said. “I think we’re being successful in getting the word across.” 

Looking forward to the rest of 2026, Evans said the city is currently putting together their event calendar for the year. He is most looking forward to the July 4th celebration. 

“Our country will be celebrating 250 years, and that’s a big deal,” he said. “We’re going to make sure that we treat it like that, and in Centerville we’re going to have a big celebration.” 

Evans said the plan is to have the celebration on July 3 to not “bump heads” with nearby cities. 

Evans also mentioned they have a full city council to serve the citizens. 

“All posts are filled, and I’m looking forward to working with the city council on making sure that the citizens of Centerville have the services that they expect,” he said. 

Making sure city facilities are at their highest quality is something Evans thinks they can build off upon. He said they want to make sure that Center Park can maintain its place in the city center for years to come. 

Evans shared they also have future plans in the SPLOST and are in talks to put an amphitheater in Center Park.  

“We’re going through the design process and we’re going to have to go through a construction process, so I’m hoping that we get that started this year,” he said. 

Evans mentioned the streets of Centerville could use some improvement. He said the roads are highly traveled and there aren’t many sidewalks in the city. 

“[Myself] along with staff are looking for funding sources [such as] grants, or matching grants so that we can start working on those projects.” 

Personally, Evans hopes to stay healthy and take care of himself in 2026 while also being able to enjoy time with his wife and family. 

“From a city perspective, my New Year’s Resolution and ours as a whole is to make sure that Centerville is an environment that is inviting, attractive, a place that people want to come to enjoy the amenities and live in,” he said. “Also, that we make sure to take care of our city employees and make sure that they take care of the citizens.”