Chattooga County, GA – November 5, 2025 – Chattooga County residents made their voices heard yesterday in a series of municipal elections, determining leadership for Lyerly, Menlo, Trion, and Summerville. The day also saw voters approve two crucial Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) measures aimed at improving county infrastructure.

In a significant shift in Summerville, challenger Rickey Hughes unseated incumbent Mayor Harry Harvey, securing 242 votes to Harvey’s 160. The Summerville City Council also saw new faces and returning members, with Simone Adams earning 336 votes for Council Seat #1 and Dana W. Mosley taking Council Seat #2 with 346 votes. Jeff Martin will fill Council Seat #3, garnering 280 votes over Lamonica “Nikki” Watkins’ 113.

The municipal election in Trion saw Mickey McGraw win the mayoral position with 164 votes, defeating Michael “Casey” Brown’s 100 votes. The Trion City Council and Trion Board of Education seats were largely uncontested, with Jeff “Fro” Wilson (Seat 1), Becky McWhorter (Seat 2), and Richard “Rick” Chesley (Seat 3) all winning their City Council races unopposed. Similarly, Darriell Broome (Seat 1), Johnny Brimer (Seat 2), and Randy Henderson (Seat 3) were re-elected to the Trion Board of Education without opposition.

Lyerly reelected Jim Ferguson as Mayor, with 46 votes. In the Lyerly City Council races, Lindsay Anderson Peace secured Council Seat 1 with 31 votes, while Leah Rogers received 15 votes. Eric Brown will serve on Council Seat 2, earning 46 votes. A significant ballot question in Lyerly passed by a margin of 32 to 16, meaning fluoride will no longer be added to the town’s public water system.

The Menlo Municipal Election saw Kris Willis reelected Mayor with 61 votes. Linda Wilson will take Council Seat 1 with 56 votes. In the race for Council Seat 2, Kim Ballard Humphrey emerged victorious with 40 votes, surpassing Damon Galloway’s 25 votes.

Voters across Chattooga County also cast their ballots on two SPLOST measures. The Transportation SPLOST passed with over 58% of the vote in favor, while the Floating SPLOST secured a wider margin of approval with over 61% of the vote. These results are currently unofficial and incomplete but indicate strong voter support for these infrastructure initiatives.

Official results for all municipal elections and SPLOST measures will be certified in the coming days.