Flowers, Warren honored, new Council sworn in

Jan. 18—THOMASVILLE- Mayor Jay Flowers and Councilwoman Wanda Warren were sent off with countless well wishes and a Proclamation on Tuesday night, as new council members Lucinda Brown and Royal Baker were sworn in.

Councilman Scott Chastain read the Proclamation honoring Flowers, before sharing his own gratitude for the work Flowers had done to improve the lives of all Thomasville residents.

Flowers was first elected to Thomasville's City Council in November 2011. He has since served faithfully for 12 years, including one term as Mayor.

During his tenure, Flowers sat on numerous boards and was named the Chairman of the Downtown Thomasville Tourism Authority and Payroll Development Authority. When not chairing a meeting, Flowers could be found serving in his roles on the South Georgia Government Authority, Main Street Advisory Board, Hospital Authority, Utilities Commission, Public Safety Committee, Pension Investment Committee, Public Works Committee, Solid Waste/Landfill Committee and Recreation Advisory Board to better address the concerns of all citizens and advance his knowledge of local government.

Flowers worked diligently to move Thomasville forward while serving as Mayor. He did this by working with the Georgia Municipal Association, serving as a GMA District Officer, and later on the GMA Board of Directors, where he eventually was named President.

Through his insight gained in various committees, Flowers was able to use his business acumen to purchase the former Rose's Department Store, which now serves as a thriving hotel, and the Caterpillar building, which is now the home of CheckMate Industries. Both of these purchases brought countless jobs and visitors to Thomasville. Flowers did not just focus on industry either, he aided in the construction of the Ritz Amphitheater and Creative District.

"Mayor Flowers will be remembered for his undying service as a spokesperson for our community," Chastain read aloud. "He was a constant supporter of Thomasville."

Following the Proclamation, Chastain presented Flowers with his gavel and shared his appreciation for Flowers' civil leadership.

With a thunderous round of applause, Mayor Pro-Tem Todd Mobley then invited up Warren as he read her Proclamation.

Warren was elected to the Thomasville City Council in November 2019 as the first African-American female. Since her election, Warren has served diligently to address the needs and concerns of residents in her district.

While addressing the concerns of her residents, she vowed to be more transparent, heading numerous technology upgrades, including City Works, Utilities Online, and Thomasville Text Alert.

To aid in the implementation of these upgrades, Warren served as a member of the Utilities Committee, Audit Committee, Risk Management Committee, Recreation Advisory Board, and Georgia Impact for Community Housing.

During her work with the Georgia Impact for Community Housing, Warren was instrumental in receiving a Community Development Block Grant to invest in the Dewey City Community.

Mobley thanked Warren for her continued hard work, before allowing her to say a few words to her family, who supported her throughout everything.

"I just want to thank everyone for your support over the last four years," she said. "I have learned so much from everyone. The biggest thing I've learned is we can't move forward as a City without the input of our staff, who have valuable skills, experience, and knowledge."

While Warren was incredibly grateful for the staff and fellow Council members, her true gratitude lay with her family.

"They have been more than supportive over the past four years," she said. "Thank you for everything, I could've never done this without you."

Concluding the Proclamations, City Attorney Tim Sanders swore in Baker and Brown respectively, and administered the Oath of Office to all council members, before passing out secret ballots to vote for the new Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem.

In a 3-2 vote, Mobley was named the new Mayor, while councilman Terry Scott was named the new Mayor Pro-Tem following a 4-1 vote.