COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – Campaigning is underway for the District 10 at-large seat on the Columbus City Council.
On May 21, an election will be held where Columbus voters from every district will get to pick their next at-large city councilor.
Tyson Begly is currently serving in that seat following his appointment last April after John House stepped down. He told News Leader 9 again he does not plan to run in this next election and does not feel it’s appropriate to endorse anyone.
Travis Chambers publicly announced his candidacy for the City Council District 10 seat on Jan. 27 becoming the fourth candidate who has filed for this race.
Chambers is a native of Columbus who’s served on several boards in the city, and he’s currently serving on the development authority through the Chamber of Commerce.
“I believe in servant leadership, and I’ve been serving my community for the last 20 years. I have a heart for the community, and I want the city to continue to grow. Continue to thrive. I want to make sure we address our unemployment rate. I want to make sure everybody has an equal opportunity to thrive in Columbus, Georgia,” he said.
Challengers include Dr. Rocky Marsh, who launched his campaign in 2023. Marsh served in the U.S. Army for 20 years and has served in various projects across the city, including the 8th Annual Mardi Gras Ball.
“My platform is the people’s platform. Whatever the people need is what I want to have a conversation with the community and lead those issues that impact them,” said Marsh.
Another candidate who’s filed is Columbus businessman John Anker.
Anker ran for Mayor, losing to Skip Henderson in 2022.
He said his priorities are transparency in city government, growing the economy, and having a sustainable government.
“The reason I’m running. The reason why is because I want to stand with the few city councilors who are listening to their constituents, who are asking the hard questions.”
There is one more candidate, Dr. Patrick Leonard. We did try to contact him multiple times but did not get a response. However, we will continue to reach out and will air his plans for his candidacy.
More candidates can still qualify through the first week of March.
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