Savannah City Council races: What to watch for as campaign season heats up

The result of the last Savannah City Council election in 2019 was nearly a clean sweep of the previous administration.

Of the nine council members who served in the Eddie DeLoach years, only two remained when the dust cleared, current Mayor Van Johnson and longtime District 5 Alderwoman Estella Shabazz.

Every other council member was replaced.

And this year, every sitting council member is running to keep their current seat, spare At Large Post 1 Alderwoman Kesha Gibson-Carter, who is running against Johnson for the mayoral post.

The election will be a referendum, a report card on this council's term, which spanned the racial reckoning of 2020, a global pandemic, and is punctuated by a council prone to bickering and infighting.

As of March 31, 15 candidates have announced runs for council, and more will likely surface as the deadline for qualifying, August 24, approaches.

Mayor

Savannah’s mayoral race is typically the highest-profile race on the ballot for municipal elections, and this year’s no different. But this cycle, things kicked off a year early.

Gibson-Carter announced her run in January of 2022, just days after council voted to take away her council chairwoman position after calling District 4 Alderman Nick Palumbo racist. 

As a challenger, Gibson-Carter will have to differentiate herself from Johnson, which she’s been doing for years anyway.

She’s a passionate firebrand for responsible government spending, and at times, a fierce critic of Savannah City Council as a whole, presenting herself as a people’s champion, often in the minority vote on controversial agenda items. She takes the time during meetings to have City Manager Jay Melder elaborate on details of city spending and contractor selection, a move she says is meant to provide insight to the public.

Johnson, on the other hand, will likely run on his record: it was his hand on the wheel throughout a tumultuous four-year period that included COVID-19, a massive protest during the racial unrest of 2020, the opening of the EnMarket Arena and the city’s plans to address homelessness in the city.

And while Johnson was mayor during this period — a more visible, outward-facing position — Gibson-Carter was on council for all of it.

But a potential key ballot issue could mean bad news for Johnson. In 2022’s midterm elections, Johnson was a vocal proponent of the 1% TSPLOST sales tax, whereas Gibson-Carter spearheaded a campaign against it.

If that issue returns to the ballot in November, the vote for mayor and the vote for TSPLOST would be a difficult knot to untangle. And between a candidate calling for more taxation and a candidate strongly opposing it, it’s usually a tough sell for the former.

And since Johnson so strongly supported TSPLOST last year — going as far as mentioning it in his State of the City speech last year — a lack of support for the TSPLOST this cycle could be perceived as flip-flopping on the issue, politicking — a noticeable crack in Johnson’s affable political personality.

TSPLOST support won't be the only issue voters consider, and despite TSPLOST failing last year, it failed a countywide vote. Only those who live within city limits will get a vote in the mayoral race, and within the city, 53% of voters said "yes" to TSPLOST.

More: Savannah Alderwoman Kesha Gibson-Carter to run for mayor in 2023

More: Savannah Mayor Van Johnson will run for re-election in November 2023

Opinion: Not so happy new year? Savannah in for volatile 2023 as politicians position for election

District 3

The most populated council race at the end of March was the race for District 3, with three challengers announcing bids against sitting Alderwoman Linda Wilder Bryan.

Wilder Bryan came under fire from critics both on and off council earlier this year after she posted a Facebook live video in which she compared followers of the Weeping Time Coalition to “followers of Hitler” and took potshots at Alderwoman Alicia Miller Blakely.

More: 'People followed Hitler' Savannah council's Wilder-Bryan hurls insults, claims provocation

Her challengers range from political first-timers to political third-timers. Todd Rhodes, a landscaping professional and strong advocate for youth sports, has never run for city council. Rhodes ran unsuccessfully for president of the Savannah-Chatham School Board in 2022.

Malik Jones, a motivational speaker and mentor, is another newcomer in the race. In his candidacy interview with SMN, Jones pledged to push for more economic development in District 3 and says he hopes to remove barriers for businesses in the city’s licensing process, specifically in regard to alcohol licensing. Recently, sitting Alderwoman Linda Wilder Bryan came under fire from critics after voting against providing an alcohol license to Cru Lounge, a Black-owned nightclub chain looking to set up a location in the 3rd District.

The outsider perspective shared by Rhodes and Jones may well play to their advantage. In 2019, Wilder Bryan was the newcomer, challenging two-term incumbent John Hall. Wilder Bryan defeated Hall by a little under 200 votes.

Clinton Cowart is also challenging for the District 3 seat. In 2021, Cowart mounted an unsuccessful run for Georgia House 165. He was defeated by former Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson. Cowart ran as a Libertarian in that race, and his platform in this race reflects that: reducing city regulations and lowering taxes.

More: Linda Wilder Bryan announces re-election bid for Savannah Council District 3

More: Former School Board president candidate announces run for Savannah Council District 3 post

More: Clinton Cowart, former Georgia House candidate, to run for Savannah Council District 3

At-Large Post 2

The citywide vote for At-Large Post 2, currently held by Alderwoman Alicia Miller Blakely, will be an exciting race to watch as well. Much like Gibson-Carter, Miller Blakely is a fiery candidate, staunchly skeptical of city spending.

Her opponent, Patrick Rossiter, a former educator, says he’s running in response to the “negativity” and infighting of the current council, and compared current city council meetings to a “reality show."

And in 2019, she was the most-voted-for candidate in the whole city, bringing in over 13,000 votes. Miller Blakely is a vocal advocate for Black businesses, Black entrepreneurship and the preservation of Black history, which is a strong stance in a majority Black city like Savannah. Recent wariness of white candidates will likely play to Blakely’s advantage this year.

Rossiter comes from a political pedigree and is seeking the same seat his father held for 13 years on Savannah City Council, but he’ll need more than a recognizable last name to have a chance.

His civility based “let’s all work together” platform may play well with some voting blocks, but that’s a frequent line of the current council majority, and therefore, a line Miller Blakely knows how to defend against.

'Remember in November'

The campaigning for this year's municipal election has already begun, and it's only going to intensify as the days until November fall away.

The municipal election will be held Nov. 7. The election is nonpartisan, meaning there is no spring primary. The qualifying period, when candidates formally register to run, will be in August.

More challengers are expected to announce bids as the April 19 qualifying deadline approaches. Profiles on those candidates can be found in Savannah Morning News' ongoing candidate profile story.

More: Savannah City Council election 2023: Who is running for mayor, council this year?

Will Peebles is the city and county reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at at WPeebles@savannahnow.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah City Council 2023: Races to keep an eye on for November 7