With five minutes to go before the close of qualifying Friday, Steven Haught handed in his finished paperwork and his $227 fee at City Hall, qualifying to run against incumbent Travis Chance for the District 5 seat on Statesboro City Council.
“I feel that we need some change in that district,” Haught said when interviewed soon after. “I feel like we need some good people that will lead this city into the next generation and see that positive things continue to happen within our community.”
So, as it turns out, only District 5 has a race in the Nov. 3 city election. Sam Jones has no opposition in District 2 for the seat being vacated at year-end by Councilman Gary Lewis, and Jeff Yawn is unopposed for the District 3 seat to be vacated by Councilman Will Britt.
Haught, 29, whose last name is pronounced “Hot,” is the service manager at the local LongHorn Steakhouse, and rotates to other management responsibilities in the restaurant. Originally from Thomaston in Upson County, he arrived in Statesboro 11 years ago as a student and graduated from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant management. Haught is now working toward a Master of Business Administration degree, also at Georgia Southern.
He is unmarried with no children. He has not held public office but serves as vice regent for the Delta Chi fraternity in the Carolinas and coastal Georgia. He was an officer of the GSU Delta Chi chapter as an undergraduate.
The city should embrace students as part of the community, Haught said, adding “I want to see the community grow together and not as separate individuals.”
Haught said he supports continuing beautification of downtown, and especially the South Main Street revitalization effort.
“We’re hanging these signs, ‘Best Community in the Country,’ and I’d like to see that continue and be able to push that, and see great things happen and see the community grow,” Haught said. “I feel like we’re kind of this beautiful gem that’s still hidden here in South Georgia, and I want everyone to know how great Statesboro is.”
Chance, 37, a financial planner, owns and operates Chance Financial Group. Originally from Millen, he has lived in Statesboro since 1998. He has been elected to council twice and is now completing his eighth year in office.
“I will be seeking re-election and looking forward to a very vigorous campaign,” Chance said in a mid-August interview.
He was not reached late Friday afternoon for comment on having a challenger. The Statesboro Herald intends to interview both candidates before the election about concerns and issues facing the city.
Georgia’s statewide qualifying week for the Nov. 3 municipal and special elections ended at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The city offices are nonpartisan, so there is no primary, only a general election.
Only three Statesboro council seats were due for elections this year. The other two council members, Phil Boyum in District 1 and John Riggs in District 4, and Mayor Jan Moore have two years left in their four-year terms.
Al Hackle may be reached at (912) 489-9458.