WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — There's a big election coming up in Warner Robins this fall. The mayor and three city council seats are up for election. Wednesday, Mayor Randy Toms confirmed with 13WMAZ that he will seek reelection.
We sat down with Toms as he reflects on his time in office and his plans moving forward.
Toms says he hopes voters will trust him with another four years in office. One of the first things on his agenda is to develop a downtown for the city
He says some things he's done well is renovating and developing the parks and recreation and adding police jobs.
“I think, financially, we're strong. We're growing our employees,” said Toms.
He says he and his team have worked hard over the last eight years and he wants to continue.
“To make Robins Air Force Base successful, Warner Robins successful and the citizens of Warner Robins successful. I've done a good job in every area of this town in trying to make us the best city we can possibly be, and I'm going to continue to do that as long as the people give me the opportunity,” said Toms.
Toms says he's not worried that pending lawsuits against the city will affect the election. One lawsuit came from a company that proposed low-income housing project on Perkins Field. Another is from an Atlanta-based fiber optic company that says the city violated their contract. Former city economic development director Gary Lee and his attorney are also threatening to sue after his job was abolished. All three claim racial discrimination by the city.
“I think we're going to prevail in all of the lawsuits that are out there because nothing was done that we're being accused of doing, so I feel good about it,” said Toms.
We reached out to other potential candidates to see who's running.
LaRhonda W. Patrick, an attorney, confirms she's running for mayor.
Stephen Baughier, an accountant, says he's strongly considering running. Former mayor Chuck Shaheen says he's weighing his options. Former councilman Tim Thomas says he'll decide in the coming weeks whether he wants to run.
Qualifying for city races runs August 16-20. Early voting runs October 12-29 -- Election Day is November 2.