Shirley Sessions reflects on years as Tybee Island mayor

In November 2019, Shirley Sessions was removing campaign signs from around Tybee Island when she got the call that she would be the next mayor of Tybee. She didn't think she would win, and, on the election night for every campaign she ran, she cleaned up instead of waiting for results.

"The clerk called me and I said, 'Are you sure?' Because polls had barely closed," Sessions said. But the city clerk at the time was sure - and she was far ahead of the other candidates. Sessions had 812 votes, 54% of the nearly 1,500 votes cast in this election, becoming the first woman to become mayor of Tybee.

"I think after I realized that I had won, I was honored that there were people on Tybee that believed in my leadership ability from having served, eight, nine years on council," Sessions said.

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She started her public service career in 1999, when she was appointed to a term on the Tybee Planning Commission, and then was subsequently elected to serve four terms on city council, two of those as mayor pro tem.

During her time on council, she said that one of her proudest achievements was helping to save what is now the Tybee Post Theater. When she was on council, the owner of the theater had decided to sell it to developers who were going to build condos. He called her, asked her if the city would be able to take it instead. The city was able to take over the mortgage for nine months, until the Tybee Island Historical Society could take it, and then it became the Tybee Post Theater.

Dottie Klutzz, who has lived on Tybee since 1979 and has been a friend of Sessions since she moved there in 1997, said that Sessions was an excellent council person and mayor.

"She's been a big advocate for keeping Tybee the way Tybee is, preserving the good of Tybee and protecting that," Klutzz said. "I like her a lot, and she's been an excellent mayor."

At the State of the City address in May, held at the Tybee Post Theater, Sessions announced that she would not be pursuing a second term as mayor. This, she said, was something that she had decided before she even started her term in January 2020.

"Anyone who knows me, knows that I never had any intention of running again if I won," Sessions said. "I didn't really expect to win, but when I did I thought this is great. I had the opportunity to do some things."

One of the first things Sessions knew she had to do was secure a new beach renourishment contract. She did that with the help of Jon Ossoff, Buddy Carter and Raphael Warnock. The contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lasts until 2036. There was a lot more she wanted to accomplish, and eventually did, but within the first three months of her time as mayor she and other leaders around the world had to deal with the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020.

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A pandemic is a little different from a hurricane, the worst thing she thought she would have to encounter. Not only did Sessions have to deal with some members of the island not agreeing with her decision to close the beaches, but she said she also had to contend with Gov. Brian Kemp reopening them.

"A quote I love is, 'If you do the right thing at the right time, you'll always be able to sleep at night,' Sessions said. "And that is true for me. With COVID, with those first decisions I had to make those were some very sleepless nights, but once I got through that we had to have a plan and that plan wouldn't work if we all weren't on the same page."

One thing to note about Sessions: She keeps herself available. Her number is posted under her bio on the Tybee Island website, and she returns every single message and call that lights up her cell.

After Orange Crush, the festival that brought about 50,000 people to the island and devastated its resources, Sessions said she responded to more than 250 emails, texts and phone calls. She just thinks it's important to hear people out, a philosophy she said with which she went into her term.

After Orange Crush, the council unanimously passed a resolution to be sent to state legislators for assistance in developing a strategy to prevent repeats of the weekend, and the council sought authority to close the roads and restrict beach access.

Sessions has some big plans after she's not mayor anymore. One of the first things she's doing is going to New York with her sister. They used to go frequently but haven't been in four years.

She's planning on going to Paris in the new year, and she's going back to selling real estate with her sister, something she had to put a hold on during the debate over what to do about the growing number of short-term vacation rentals. The debate eventually resulted in a ban on STVR's in residential neighborhoods last October.

Sessions said she's very proud of accomplishments while she was mayor, despite the challenges. She highlights the city staff as the real rock stars of the city, as the ones making the city run well.

"Hopefully the new mayor and council never forget; never forget your police, your fire, the staff," Sessions. "They're just everything. The past four years have been a wonderful journey. I wish I could thank each one of them and have a big party."

On Tuesday, residents will decide who will take Sessions' position. Running for the mayoral seat is Brian West, who has served on city council since 2021; Mack Kitchens, who ran against Sessions in the 2019 election and is best known for rescuing a drowning girl while kiteboarding; and, Julia Pearce, who would make history if elected as Tybee's first Black mayor.

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: Shirley Sessions reflects on years as Tybee Island mayor