Going into the final day of qualifying, there are no vacancies but also no contested races for the three Statesboro City Council seats up for election Nov. 3.
Travis Chance, the incumbent in District 5, qualified Wednesday and is seeking election for a third term, as he had announced.
The only other candidates to qualify all week, so far, were Sam Jones in District 2 and Jeff Yawn in District 3. Neither Jones nor Yawn has held elected office. They hope to occupy the seats currently held by District 2 incumbent Gary Lewis and District 3 incumbent Will Britt, both of whom said they will not seek re-election.
Candidates may qualify at the city clerk’s office today (Friday) until 4:30 p.m., the statewide closing time for regular qualifying for the Nov. 3 municipal elections. The qualifying fee for a Statesboro council seat is $227.
Three so far
Chance, 37, is a financial planner with his own firm, 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. Interviewed in August, he said words of support from business leaders, other elected officials and the public helped him make up his mind to run.
“Every decision I have made has been with significant thought as well as significant counsel with members of the community, members of other commissions and groups,” Chance said. “So when they told me that they would definitely love to see me remain in that position and be able to work with me again for the next four years, that’s what made my decision.”
He said he was looking forward to a vigorous campaign, but that won’t be necessary for him, Jones or Yawn if they are the only candidates.
Jones, 55, an Afghanistan combat veteran, retired in April as a staff sergeant after a 32-year military career that included service in the National Guard, the Army and the Army Reserve. Now an independent insurance agent, he also worked seven years as a local jailer and corrections officer.
“We need to come to the table with some solutions,” Jones said Monday. “There’s a lot of solutions out there. So my main slogan is ‘Bridging the gap’ in communications between city officials and District 2. We’re not communicating.”
Yawn, 43, is executive director of Eagle Dining Services at Georgia Southern University, where he has worked for more than nine years. He grew up working at the former Snooky’s restaurant, and owned the former Archibald’s restaurant.
“I want to be a leader for the 3rd District and all of Statesboro, someone that the people have confidence in and great trust, someone that people know is committed to building relationships, understanding the importance of the city, the county, Georgia Southern, Ogeechee Tech, small businesses and large industry alike,” Yawn said earlier this week.