Forsyth mayor's race pits former councilman against incumbent
The race for Forsyth mayor pits recently resigned City Council member Eric Wilson against one-term incumbent John T. Howard II.
Howard, 45, an insurance agent, says he "turned the ship around" soon after his election four years ago, helped transition Forsyth from a city that couldn't pay its bills to one that now has money in the bank.
"I'm the mayor that's not afraid to make the tough decisions, the decisions that are not so popular in order to take care of things that are best for the city to stay alive and thrive," Howard said. "I'm that guy."
He proposed a shift to a city manager form of government last year. Now that it's in effect, Howard said residents get better service.
Wilson, 43, who resigned his Post 2 seat in August to run for mayor, is owner and CEO of MedPro EMS, a Forsyth-based ambulance company.
He stands on his record as a fiscal conservative on the council and being one of the leaders in lowering property taxes.
"I have some unique qualifications that make me prepared to lead Forsyth," Wilson said, citing his experience as a business and property owner and past work as a regional project manager for the state's Department of Economic Development.
"I think we have a very bright future and with the right leadership, we can get there," he said.
If elected, Wilson said he will work to improve Forysth's economic development through a Forsyth First initiative that will use the newly formed Convention and Visitor's Bureau to market the city to businesses.
The initiative also would change City Hall's response to better take advantage of development opportunities, streamlining licensing and zoning processes to make them easier to understand and more business-friendly, he said.
The initiative also would include designating a city employee to work directly with different entities and for Forsyth to actively recruit new businesses to move to town, Wilson said.
If elected, Wilson also wants to improve the efficiency of city departments and foster better cooperation between Forsyth and the Monroe County Commission.
He said he'll propose moving council's meeting time, which conflicts with commission meetings, so representatives from both bodies can attend each other's meetings.
Howard's top issue in his re-election bid is improving Forysth's water and sewage infrastructure.
"We can scream jobs, jobs, jobs all day long. We can scream economic development all day long, but the reality is our infrastructure is aging, has been aging and is continuing to age," he said.
Howard said he'll work to expand the city's water capacity, drawing from other sources such as the Ocmulgee River or Lake Juliette. The city now gets water from the Tobesofkee Reservoir.
He'll also seek to make improvements at Forsyth's sewage treatment facility.
Like Wilson, Howard wants to develop policies to make the city more business-friendly to better enable small businesses to expand and create jobs.
If elected, he said he'll work to develop programs to train the unemployed and help them find jobs.
Howard also wants to develop a city park on a 15-acre site off Ensign Road near the Forsyth Golf Club in hopes of making the city more attractive to workers in the health care field who value recreation.
Howard's first term was marked by allegations that he hadn't paid his cable and utility bills for several months in 2011, accruing a balance of $2,265, but his services weren't disconnected.
After reviewing results of a sheriff's office probe, it was determined there were no allegations that Howard used his position to get credit from the city.
"My personal life was in shambles for a while, but my life as the mayor was steady," Howard said.
Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398 and find her on Twitter
Forsyth mayoral candidates
Name: John T. Howard II
Age: 45
Occupation: Insurance agent
Political experience: incumbent
Top issue: Infrastructure improvements
Name: Eric Wilson
Age: 43
Occupation: President and CEO, MedPro EMS
Political experience: Forsyth Post 2 City Councilman, 2010 to August 2015
Top issue: Forsyth First, a plan for economic development
This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 10:31 PM with the headline "Forsyth mayor's race pits former councilman against incumbent ."