Chuck Shaheen qualifies for Warner Robins mayor; challenger emerges for council Post 3

Warner Robins City Councilman Chuck Shaheen qualified Friday to run for mayor, officially making it a three-way race.

He joins former public works Director Joe Musselwhite in the race to unseat Mayor Randy Toms, who is seeking his second term.

“Since I was a little kid, I always wanted to be the mayor of Warner Robins, and I’m just hoping and praying that opportunity happens again,” Shaheen said.

Shaheen served one term as mayor from 2010 to 2014, but instead of seeking a second term he chose to run for City Council and return to work in the private sector. He said earlier that he would run for mayor if the council approved a city administrator position, and that’s what happened Monday.

He sees having served as both mayor and a councilman as helping him be a stronger mayor the second time around.

“You really understand the operations,” Shaheen said. “Your council is in charge of appropriating the funds. Your mayor really is the face of the city.”

Shaheen formally announced his intentions Thursday before about 50 people at McCall’s Taste to Remember.

“Your city has got to have representation throughout your community,” he told the crowd. “We represent everybody in the community. It’s important as your leader that you can get the right people in the room to solve problems.”

Shaheen expressed his support for having a city administrator during his announcement, stating that Warner Robins is the largest city in the state without a city administrator. With a city administrator, he said, the mayor and council can focus on big issues while the administrator handles the day-to-day operations of the city.

Also qualifying Friday in Warner Robins was Terri Murray to run against incumbent Keith Lauritsen for the Post 3 council seat. Murray, who listed her profession as accounting on her qualifying information, could not be reached for comment.

Qualifying ended Friday for most, though some qualifying deadlines were Wednesday for others.

BYRON

City Council, Post 3: Michael S. Chumbley, incumbent; Farrell W. Bass

City Council, Post 4: Michael L. Chidester, incumbent; Lauren P. Dampier

City Council, Post 5: Alan C. Dorsey, incumbent

CENTERVILLE

Mayor: John Harley, incumbent

City Council, Post 1: Cameron Andrews, incumbent

City Council, Post 2: Justin Wright

GRAY

Mayor: James Collins, Ed Barbee

Mayor Pro-Tem: Kema Greene Clark, Ken Tapee

Council, Post 1: David Tufts, incumbent; Richard L. Tipton

Council, Post 2: Benny Gray Jr., incumbent

Council, Post 3: Terrell Fulford, incumbent

Council, Post 4: Terry Favors, incumbent

WARNER ROBINS

Mayor: Randy Toms, incumbent; Joe Musselwhite, Chuck Shaheen

City Council, Post 1: Jeffrey L. Walker; Jim Taylor; Daron Lee, Eric Langston

City Council, Post 3: Keith Lauritsen, incumbent; Terri Murray

City Council, Post 5: Clifford Holmes, incumbent

FORSYTH

Council, Post 2: Chris M. Hewett, incumbent

Council, Post 5 Julius Stroud III, incumbent

Council, Post 6 Mike Dodd, incumbent

FORT VALLEY

Mayor: Barbara Williams, incumbent; JoAnne Dankle, Jamie Johnson and Ralph Davis

City Council, East Ward: Post 1: Juanita Bryant, incumbent

City Council, at large: Constance Rainey, Marvin Crafter

City Council, West Ward, Post 2: Carla Gowan, Rose Marie Thompson

Utility Commissioner, Post 3, at large: Alre’ Horton, Ralph Lambert

Utility Commissioner, Post 1, East Ward: Linda Johnson, incumbent

MONROE COUNTY

Commission, District 4: George Emami, Randy Gonzalez, Barry S. Peters

Board of Education, District 2: Steve Coleman, Priscilla Grant Doster

PERRY

Mayor: Jimmy Faircloth, incumbent

City Council, District 1, Post 1: Phyllis Bynum-Grace, incumbent

City Council, District 2, Post 1: Robert Jones, incumbent

City Council, District 3, Post 1: Randall Walker, incumbent;

ROBERTA

Mayor: Becky Smith, incumbent, Jay Andrews

Post 1: Billy J. Bassett, incumbent; Charles M. Cook, Joe T. Mathews, Clay Moncrief

Post 2: Ervin Patton, incumbent; Bobby Joe Daniel, Sherry Thompson

This story was originally published August 25, 2017 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Chuck Shaheen qualifies for Warner Robins mayor; challenger emerges for council Post 3."