Rocky Ford’s newly elected mayor and councilman both hope youth, new ideas and hard work will bring the town to recovery from financial and legal issues.

In a special election Tuesday, former councilman Ken Mock took the mayor’s seat while newcomer Drew Dudley won the council position Mock vacated in order to run for mayor.

Rocky Ford remains under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding an undisclosed amount of missing money. The investigation was opened in March 2013, when the Georgia Bureau of Investigation began looking into allegations of unpaid ticket fees and fines since 2003. The FBI took over the investigation in July 2014.

Shortly after the query began in 2013, Jimmy Hankinson resigned as mayor after the town council fired town clerk Beth Collins Smith. Barry Durden took the mayor’s position, and Teresa Mock was hired as clerk, but both resigned in November. Mock would not offer a reason for leaving, but Durden cited health issues as his reason for resignation.

The council recently hired Heather Boykin as clerk.

There are more troubles facing the town. The council has been in noncompliance with the state regarding the unpaid fines, as well as other matters such as Federal Emergency Management Agency mandates. Council members are working hard to recover and correct record-keeping mistakes and other neglected responsibilities, council member Willette Mock said Wednesday.

Aside from that, Rocky Ford has little money left after the alleged theft, and operating the town without adequate funding is difficult, Ken Mock said Tuesday.

However, “We’re paying the bills and the lights are still on,” he said. The police department has been reduced to one person, Chief Pat Kile, who is working part time.

A major point of discussion in the small Screven County town are streets. Riddled with pot holes, residents demand action, but the money isn’t there, he said.

“It costs about $100,000 to pave a mile of road, and the money just isn’t there,” he said. Patching the holes would cost about $10,000, but that is only a temporary fix and “wouldn’t last but maybe 18 months,” he said.

Fundraisers are being planned for late spring to raise money for town improvements, and Mock said he plans to pursue grants as well.

“I’m truly grateful” to be elected mayor, he said. “I hope to continue to work on getting the town financially stable” and work toward improving the streets. However, “You can’t fix a $50,000 hole with $5,” he said.

Getting the town’s records straightened out and organized and returning to compliance with state mandates is a priority as well, he said.

Councilman Dudley expressed excitement about taking a part in repairing the town he grew up knowing as home. He was raised 6 miles from Rocky Ford, in Jenkins County, but spent more time in the small town where he now lives.

He made sure to point out that he meant no disrespect for older, more experienced residents, but said he feels bringing in young folks with fresh ideas is a positive move for the town. He is 33, while Mock soon will be 34, he said.

“I’m young, energetic and pretty intelligent,” he said. “I can look past where we’re at, what we’re going through, and see the future of Rocky Ford.”

He hopes to bring younger people to the town who will become more involved in town matters and to do his part in helping the town recover, he said.

“We’re taking steps in the right direction, but (the town) has become stagnant,” he said.

Out of 117 registered voters in Rocky Ford, 58 reported to the polls at the Town Hall to cast votes. The voting was done by paper ballots, filled out by hand and dropped into a large box.

Screven County poll manager Shalonda McCall said Mock received 38 votes, while challenger Danny Burke garnered 20 votes. There was one write-in vote for resident Greta Newton for mayor.

Dudley ran unopposed, but resident David Miller received one write-in vote for that position. Dudley received 48 votes for the council seat.

Only Willette Mock and acting Mayor Kathleen Rowland appeared at the polls to witness the vote count, which took approximately 15 minutes.

Burke waited outside to read the election results when they were posted.

“We’re in bad damned shape,” he said, shaking his head. “He (Ken Mock) hasn’t done anything (about town issues) in five years. I don’t see what he’s going to do for the town now.”

Burke said if he had been elected, he would have enlisted an attorney to recover the stolen funds and would have solicited ideas about building an overpass over the town’s railroad tracks. A train frequently blocks the main street as it awaits track switches, he said.

Mock and Dudley are slated to be sworn in within the week, Mock said. The council is slated to meet again in April.

Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.