Here are the qualified candidates for the Tybee Island elections on Nov. 7.
Here are the qualified candidates for the Tybee Island elections on Nov. 7.
The qualifying period for candidates ended Friday afternoon. Residents of Tybee Island will head to the polls to choose their next mayor and city councilmembers.
Here is the slate of candidates who responded to requests for information or have campaign websites or publicly viewable social media channels.
Mayor
Julia Pearce
Julia Pearce is the first Black person and second woman to run for mayor of Tybee Island. Pearce is the co-founder of Tybee MLK, a human rights organization dedicated to promoting diversity on the island.
Mack Kitchens
Mack Kitchens is a local kiteboarder and general contractor running for mayor. This is his third time running for local office, with a previous run for mayor in 2019 and a run for city council in 2021.
Brian West
Brian West is currently a member of the Tybee City Council, a lifelong resident of Savannah and a 13-year resident of Tybee. He was a newcomer to the Tybee City Council in 2019 and now hopes to maintain his seat to continue working with and addressing the concerns of Tybee residents.
City Council
There will be a special election to fill Brian West's seat, as he has relinquished his council seat to run for mayor.
Barry Brown
Barry Brown is a current city councilmember. He has been a permanent resident of Tybee Island for 30 years. His goals for the island are to improve public safety and repair infrastructure.
John Branigan
John Branigan was previously on the council from 2018-2021 and has been a resident of Tybee for 18 years. He is the council liaison to the finance committee and on the public safety committee. His goal if elected is to seek balanced solutions to complex problems.
Jay Burke
Jay Burke has been a lifelong resident of Tybee Island for 57 years. He currently works for 1475 International Longshoreman Association. As councilman he said his first priority will always be safety for Tybee Island resident and visitors, as well as working with citizens and government entities to make Tybee Island the premier beach community in which to live, work and play.
Joey Goralzyck
Joey Goralzyck has been a resident of Tybee for the last 16 years and is currently a bartender at Micky's 1971. If elected, he hopes to try to keep Tybee as much of a hometown community as possible, enforce regulations on short term vacation rentals, and offer a new perspective on the issues that face the island.
James Lucas has been a resident of Tybee his entire life and currently works as a clerk and checker at 1475 International Longshoreman Association. Lucas' goals are to improve and protect the quality of life of all of Tybee's citizens.
Tony Ploughe
Tony Ploughe moved to Tybee in 2011 and is currently a contract flight-testing instrumentation engineer. If elected, he wants to make sure Tybee is more strategic than reactive in their planning.
Nick Sears
Nick Sears has been a resident of Tybee Island since 2005. Sears said he is devoted to this island and committed to its financial prosperity, the improvement of the quality of life it affords to permanent residents and to the environmental health of the ocean.
Kathryn Williams
Kathryn Wiliams is a native of Savannah and moved to Tybee in 1981. She has served two terms on the Tybee City Council and is currently on the board of Forever Tybee. Wiliams said her goal in running for council is to use her experience in government, education, business, and nonprofits to work with council, staff, and citizens to develop strategic and systemic solutions to Tybee's challenges and opportunities.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Here are the qualified candidates for the Tybee Island elections on Nov. 7.
