While no incumbents will participate in the Nov. 5 Brooklet City election for Council Posts 1 and 2, a former city councilman is seeking a seat again and another former city councilman, who resigned earlier this year, was the only one to qualify for a special election to fill his vacated post.

Russell Davis resigned from the Brooklet Council Post 2 last summer, but when qualifying was held for a special election to fill his term, Davis was the only one who signed up, said Brooklet City Clerk Angela Wirth.

Since Davis has no opposition, there will be no special election and he will fill the Post 2 seat until Dec. 31, she said. Davis did not qualify to run in the regular election.

But two newcomers are challenging each other for the Post 2 Council seat; Bradley Anderson and Edward Dinello.

Former Brooklet councilman  Lonnie “Nicky” Gwinnett and challenger Jason Knight are each seeking election to Brooklet Council Post 1, Wirth said.

Post 1

Eight years ago, Gwinnett   served a four-year term on the council. He is seeking to be elected to fill the Post 1 seat vacated by Randy Newman, who did not qualify to run again.

He is opposed by Jason Knight.

Gwinnett said he is running for office “because I needed to.” He said there needs to be experience on the council to “fix things. “

Generating more revenue by means other than raising  taxes, such as garbage removal, and addressing traffic backups at Brooklet Elementary School are  two areas he would like to focus on, he said.

Faced with issues such as lack of transparency and difficulties in dealing with challenges, the Brooklet Council needs unity, he said.

A lifelong Brooklet native,  and Southeast Bulloch High School graduate, he has owned Kitchen Craft Cabinets for 38 years. He is married with two children.

Jason Knight, a Statesboro High School graduate whose family has  lived in the Brooklet area all his life,  said he hopes to “bring back a sense of community and family values” to the Brooklet Council if he is elected.

He sees a need to bring “hope, transparency and faith” back to the council and said if elected he would like to seek grants for city projects and pay for improvements. One idea is to look into solar energy to operate traffic lights and other areas needing power, to save money, he said.

Having worked as a jailer for the Bulloch County Jail and Bulloch County Correctional Institute, he currently works for an engine design company called Arcon. He graduated from Southeast Bulloch High School and earned an associate degree in Information Technology from Dixie University, he said.

Post 2

Bradley Scott Anderson has lived in Brooklet since 1997. A lifelong Bulloch County resident who graduated from Statesboro High School, he said he wants to “give back” to the community by talking an active role in city government.

He said the current council has made several decisions with which he did not agree, and feels council members should be more approachable. Transparency is also an issue, he said. He hopes to see “Brooklet manage its growth and maintain its small town charm.” He is a Georgia Southern University graduate with degrees in Justice Studies, middle grade education and has a doctorate in education, He worked for the Bryan County school system 23 years and is now the Treutlen County school superintendent. He is married with two children.

Edward DiNello became interested in Brooklet city government last year when he had a discussion with the council over his beekeeping hobby, “The Bees Knees.”

“I met people, became interested in the process,  and wanted to be a part of it,” he said. When someone approached him about running for office, he decided to qualify for Post 2 on the council, which at the time was an open seat vacated by Davis’ resignation.

He said he would like to see an “open door policy: with the council, improved transparency and approachability. He feels conflicts between residents and council member can be more peaceful and “less dramatic.”

Dinello has been a sales representative for US Foods for 26 years and lived in the city for 13 years. A Statesboro High School and Georgia Southern University graduate, with a degree in hotel and restaurant management, he and his wife have a total of four children together.

Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at 912-489-9414.