Forsyth elects new mayor, and change coming to City Council

FORSYTH -- Voters in Forsyth elected a new mayor Tuesday on a night of mixed results for city officials.

Former City Council member Eric Wilson defeated incumbent Mayor John T. Howard II 519-466 to claim victory in that race with 53 percent of the vote.

"It's a very heartfelt win," Wilson said. "It's very exciting. It's humbling at the same time."

Howard was running for re-election after four years in the post. He said he would have to discuss his next steps with his family.

"Some suggestions have been made, some options to pursue in politics," he said. "Not sure at the moment."

Wilson, who had served on City Council from 2010 to 2015, vacated his Post 2 seat to run for mayor. The race for his unexpired term is headed for a runoff. Alleta Mays and Chris Hewett garnered 419 and 348 votes, respectively, but neither of them picked up the required majority to win the race outright. A runoff will be held Dec. 1.

Howard missed the runoff with 199 votes.

Post 1 was also contested, with challenger Dexter King ousting incumbent Jimmy Jones by a 524-432 vote.

King, a Forsyth native, was among members of the crowd who heard results announced at the Monroe County Courthouse.

"It's amazing. I thank God," he said. "I can't even put it into words."

In the Post 4 race, incumbent Greg Goolsby retained his post by a 493-463 count over challenger Nikia Davis. Even with the close result, Goolsby said he was glad to come away with another four years in office.

"I think we've done some good things," he said. "I look forward to continuing to do good things."

Jones and Goolsby had both served since 2013, when they were elected to fill posts vacated by James Edward Calloway and Desi Surtane Hansford. Both Calloway and Hansford were indicted, then later sentenced on bribery charges.

Incumbent Melvin Lawrence ran unopposed for his Post 3 seat and got 698 votes. He was optimistic that his lack of competition was a positive reflection on his time in office.

"God has blessed me. That's the only thing I can think of," he said. "Hopefully, I've done something good for the city of Forysth."

To contact writer Jeremy Timmerman, call 744-4331 or find him on Twitter@MTJTimm.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 10:18 PM with the headline "Forsyth elects new mayor, and change coming to City Council ."