Wheeler Teacher Runs for Office

Wheeler High School history teacher John Miller will face off against incumbent candidate Melleny Pritchett for the Ward 1 seat on the Smyrna City Council Nov. 8.

“Getting into this arena is something I’ve always wanted to do and it’s a good time in my life to do that,” Miller said. “I really want to serve the community and hear what the people want and try to relate what they need.”

Last Wednesday morning, Mayor Max Bacon, originally elected in 1985, made official his bid for an eighth term of office. Bacon is .

Two other city council candidates will be running uncontested this fall. Teri Anulewicz, current Ward 3 council member, will return for a second term next year.

Planning and Zoning committee member Andrea Blustein will begin her first term as Ward 2 council member at the start of next year. She has been a resident of Smyrna’s Ward 2 since she relocated here from Chicago in 1987. Ron Newcomb, current Ward 2 council member,  that he would not seek election to a sixth term.

Three new candidates qualified to run in Wards 4, 5 and 7. Judith Causey Jones will compete against incumbent candidate Mike McNabb and newcomers Charles "Corkey'' Welch and Alex Bretch for the Ward 4 council seat. McNabb has held the position since 2003.

Ward 5 now has three contenders for its council seat. Susan Dease Wilkinson added her name to the list of candidates for the seat that will be  at the end of this term. Wilkinson is running against Jason Saliba who qualified Monday and Mike Hyde who qualified Tuesday.

Ron Fennell placed his bid for the Ward 7 seat. He will compete against Ziad Salameh, Garry Osborne and Vick Yankouski. Ward 7’s current council member  that he would not be running for sixth term.

Fennell is no stranger to the election process. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives for his hometown of Brunswick from 1988 to 1992.

If elected, Fennell said he would like to work to improve Smyrna’s transportation infrastructure. He said that it's important to encourage relationships with rail companies, see that Smyrna gets the necessary funds to repair and replace some of its aging roads and to improve how Smyrna's citizens get around the community.

Fennell said he would also like to work to get all of incorporated Smyrna listed with Smyrna addresses. He explained that though he’s a tax-paying Smyrna city resident, his home still has a Mableton address.

Strengthening public safety efforts for Ward 7 is also important to Fennell.

“We’re going to get a new fire station out in our neck of the woods and that’s really important for us,” he said. “So public safety is a key component. We have a great working relationship with the Smyrna Police Department in our communities out there. We want to continue to offer public safety.”