Port Wentworth residents re-elect incumbents, welcome two newcomers to council

Destini Ambus, Savannah Morning News
Updated ·2 min read

In Port Wentworth, Artlise Alston-Cone won At-Large Post 1 with 521 votes out of 911 cast, while Thomas Barbee narrowly won At-Large Post 2 with 466 votes out of 926 cast. His opponent, Lashawn Benton received 460 votes.

ArtLise Alston-Cone is the new At-Large Post 1 city councilmember for Port Wentworth.
ArtLise Alston-Cone is the new At-Large Post 1 city councilmember for Port Wentworth.

Port Wentworth council candidates were vying for four seats during this election: At-Large Posts 1 and 2, District 2 and District 4.

Incumbent Mark Stephens in District 2, and Shawn Randerwala in District 4 ran unopposed. Randerwala is the first Indian American who will hold a seat on the Port Wentworth City Council. The seat was previously held by Glenn Jones, who served as mayor for 12 years from 2006-2018.

ArtLise Alston-Cone has been a resident of Port Wentworth for 17 years and currently works as an educator. In office, her goal is to provide a better quality of life for Port Wentworth residents through smart development by improving infrastructure, increasing resources for the up and downtown areas and fostering more partnerships for the city.

More: Port Wentworth council member steps down. Why Jo Smith resigned before ethics hearing.

More: Port Wentworth Council candidates face off in forum, discuss housing, traffic

The seat for At-Large Post 1 has been empty for the past 11 months, due to former councilmember Jo Smith resigning in January from her at-large post amongst ethics complaints against her.

Barbee, serving his second term in At-Large Post 2 in council, is/was also mayor pro-term, holding the title for the most electoral votes in the history of Port Wentworth in 2015 and 2019. He was unanimously selected by the city council to serve as mayor pro tem. Barbee moved to Port Wentworth in 2010, and became involved in politics in 2015.

Port Wentworth Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Barbee stands outside of Rice Creek School, where there are no lines;146 people have voted since 7 a.m.
Port Wentworth Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Barbee stands outside of Rice Creek School, where there are no lines;146 people have voted since 7 a.m.

The mayoral seat, which is held by Mayor Gary Norton, District 1, Gabrielle Nelson and District 3, Rufus Bright, will be up for reelection next year during the presidential election.

Port Wentworth, which has already experienced rapid growth in the last 10 years, from 5,000 people to nearly 12,000, is expected to grow even more in the coming years with the arrival of the Hyundai Plant to Bryant County, and the influx of jobs and people it will bring.

Residents of Port Wentworth will be looking to their newly elected officials and city leadership to handle not only the arrival of more people, more money and more problems, but to continue the mending of a city once divided, through careful planning and smart growth.

All of the new officials will begin their terms on Jan. 1, 2024.

Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Port Wentworth residents re-elect incumbents, welcome two newcomers