Artlise Alston-Cone joins relatively new Port Wentworth City Council at swearing in ceremony
Artlise Alston-Cone was sworn into Port Wentworth City Council at a specially called meeting Monday.
Alston-Cone was elected Nov. 7 to fill the At-Large Post 1 seat with 521 of the 911 votes cast. This is her first time serving on council.
"Artlise Alston-Cone is an awesome person and I happened to be her campaign manager," said re-elected Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Barbee. "It's a tough job being an elected official, but she can do it."
The seat has been empty since January, after Jo Smith resigned days before a hearing regarding an ethics complaint was brought against her by three other council members. According to Port Wentworth's charter, special elections are held for vacated seats when there are more than 24 months left in the term, so Alston-Cone will be in her seat for the next 13 months before she's up for re-election.
Alston-Cone has been a resident of Port Wentworth for 17 years and works as an educator in the area. While running, she said her goal was to provide a better quality of life for residents through smart development, improving infrastructure, increasing resources and fostering partnerships for the city.
More: Port Wentworth announces $50 million investment in quality-of-life improvements
More: Port Wentworth residents re-elect incumbents, welcome two newcomers to council
She's one of two newcomers to the council, alongside Shawn Randerwala, who will be sworn into council in January. They're both joining a relatively new council. In 2021, Rufus Bright and Gabrielle Nelson were elected, displacing the two incumbents that were in the District 3 and District 1 seats. District 2 Councilmember Mark Stephens was reelected uncontested to the seat he's held since 2019.
Port Wentworth has experienced rapid growth in the last 10 years, exploding from 5,000 to nearly 12,000 and is expected to develop even more with the Hyundai Plant coming to Bryant County in 2025. This council will have to continue to prepare for the influx of people and jobs it will bring through careful planning and smart growth.
"I promise to do my best, because that's all I can do, right?" Alston-Cone asked. "That's all I can do. I promise to be honest, and straightforward, because that's who I am."
Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Artlise Alston-Cone sworn into Port Wentworth City Council
