1:45 p.m., Nov. 6, 2025: ADDS city attorney opinion that runoff required
12:23 a.m., Nov. 6, 2025: ADDS county attorney opinion that runoff required; ADDS Liberty County GOP’s Michael Navarro at Williams victory party
10:40 a.m., Nov, 6, 2025: ADDS explanation of state statute vs. city charter
6:40 p.m., Nov. 5, 2025: UPDATES Midway mayoral runoff will happen per county election chair McIver
1:49 p.m. Nov. 5, 2025: ADDS photos
It’s official — the two top candidates in Midway’s mayoral race will move to a runoff. Either way, Midway will have a new mayor.
The Current GA received official notice from Liberty County Registration and Elections Chair John McIver late Wednesday, after nearly 24 hours of confusion as to whether or not Midway’s charter allowed for a runoff when two votes separate candidates:
The runoff will take place Dec. 2 at Midway City Hall from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Advance in-person voting will take place from Monday, Nov. 24 through Wednesday, Nov. 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Historic Courthouse in Hinesville and the Liberty County Community Complex in Midway.
McIver wrote that the decision was based on a “review of the City of Midway’s charter and ordinances, and in accordance with O.C.G.A. §21-2-501.”
Midway city officials had been in meetings all day Wednesday over the issue. City Clerk Lynette Osborne-Cook confirmed officials were reviewing the city charter Wednesday morning to see if a runoff were possible.
State and federal elections require 50% plus one vote. But according to Georgia Southern University political science professor Kimberty Martin, Midway’s charter requires only a single vote to win.
Martin told The Current GA that the Liberty County Board of Elections and Registration was “fairly adamant that this was the way that it worked and there would not be a runoff because of it.”
Midway’s city charter does not explicitly state whether candidates need 50% plus one vote (majority) or just one vote (plurality) to win an election. However, Georgia law provides that, when a city’s charter does not specify whether its elections are won by majority or plurality, that the election shall go to a runoff:
“In instances in which no municipal candidate receives a majority of the votes cast and the municipal charter or ordinances do not provide for nomination or election by a plurality vote, a run-off primary or election shall be held between the candidates receiving the two highest numbers of votes” (O.C.G.A. §21-2-501(c)).
Liberty County Attorney Kelly Davis sent a letter to that effect , with supporting documentation, to Liberty County Elections Supervisor Ronda Walthour, adding, “In deference to the City of Midway, it is my further recommendation that the foregoing opinion be confirmed by Midway’s city attorney and that its administration, acting on such opinion, request that the run-off election be conducted.”
Midway City Attorney Robert Pirkle was of the same opinion:
FLOST, TSPLOST pass
After weeks of non-stop messaging from the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce, voters overwhelmingly passed two sales tax measures on the Nov. 4 ballot. Those revenue sources are expected to provide some relief to local governments that receive a share of the county sales tax, especially cash-strapped Walthourville.
Proponents of the Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) say will take some of the property tax burden off homeowners and distribute it among residents and visitors alike, while the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) is designed to help cities and counties secure federal and state matching funds for major transportation improvements.
Elected and appointed officials across the county had been optimistic but not confident on the two one-cent sales taxes. As she left the polls in Midway Tuesday morning, Liberty County Development Authority CEO Brynn Grant said “it would be difficult” if TSPLOST did not pass. The county had paused its list of transportation projects after voters refused to renew TSPLOST last year, just before officials broke ground on the Hinesville bypass in Walthourville.
FLOST offers a means of offsetting millage rates when the county sets its budget and can only be used for that purpose.
More changes in Midway
Voters kicked Midway’s old guard to the curb after two years of controversy over fire protection and what many citizens said was a lack of transparency from City Hall.
In the mayoral race, Malcolm Willliams beat Stanley Brown by 2 votes, 175 to 173 — just four-tenths of a percentage point apart at Williams’ 34.86% to Brown’s 34.46%. Kenneth Williams came in third with 154 votes or 30.68%.
As of publication, no challenges to council seats had been filed in Midway.
Brown was among the crowd waiting for results at the elections office in Hinesville Tuesday night. He credited a diligent door-to-door campaign for his strong showing and said he was prepared for a runoff.
“My thought is to keep doing what I’ve been doing,” he said, “Do what I’m doing, and be honest, transparent, let the people know what I’ve done and what I will do. That’s all I can do.”
Asked what he was hearing from people, Brown said, “They were happy I was coming around because they didn’t know the information that I was giving.”
Back in Midway, Williams held a jubilant celebration for a well-oiled political machine that includes several new Midway councilmembers.
Williams said, “First of all, to the council: The city spoke. That’s what it wanted. They want a new vision moving forward,” adding the “previous councilmembers, all of them have done a wonderful job with the city. So I just wanted to say thank you to them, and we got the team together that the city wanted. Now it’s time for me to hit the ground running again, one more time….I just gotta hit a little bit harder, and Midway will be going truly in the direction that everybody’s looking for.”
Williams said his “dream team” is business-oriented and wants to create a recognizable identity for the city. He also said citizens could look forward to video livestreams of council meetings.
Other elected officials on hand were his father, State Rep. Al Williams; Mayor Chris Stacy and Councilwoman Louise Brown from Riceboro; Hinesville Councilman José Ortiz; and Walthourville Councilmen Patrick Underwood and Mitchell Boston.
Liberty County GOP 3rd Vice Chair Mike Navarro also showed up to congratulate Foskey:
Midway council single-vote margins turn out incumbents
Midway voters made it clear they want change on the city council, whose members have rotated through council and mayor positions for years.
Newcomer Annie L. Foskey led the pack with 225 votes, followed by Janet Bryant Jones with 221, Rhonda Thomas with 201, and Vernon Donovan with 185. Donovan edged out longtime Councilwoman, Mayor, and Mayor Pro Tem Clemontine Washington, who got 184 votes and Mayor Levern Clancy who got 183. Councilman Henry Stevens, Jr. got 121 votes, just one more than challenger Jamal McIver at 120.
School Board Chair Verdell Jones said she had convinced fellow State Farm agent Vernon Donovan to run; Donovan said Jones had been his “mentor for some time. I really look up to her and value what she has to offer and teach, and I’m hoping to take that and help bring Midway to a new level.”
Thomas, who waited for returns at the county elections office, said, “It’s been stressful.” Asked what she planned to do first, Thomas said, “There’s a lot that people have been wanting and demanding…. They want roads paved, they want lights, they want, you know. We’ve got to look at budgets and see what’s actually doable.” Regarding TSPLOST, Thomas said, “Gotta make sure that those funds are being used where they need to go.”
Donovan said, “What I’ve learned tonight is that every single vote counts. Tonight I won by literally one vote.”
| Foskey | 225 | 12.44% |
| Jones | 221 | 12.22% |
| Thomas | 201 | 11.11% |
| Donovan | 185 | 10.23% |
| Washington (I) | 184 | 10.17% |
| Clancy | 183 | 10.12% |
| Sherrod | 158 | 8.73% |
| Gerace | 140 | 7.74% |
| Stevens (I) | 121 | 6.69% |
| McIver | 120 | 6.63% |
| Campen | 71 | 3.92% |
Flemington: Byler edges Hawkins mayor
Timothy Byler, who chairs the Liberty County Planning Commission and pastors Connection Church in Hinesville, leveraged his flock to campaign for him. Byler’s people set up camp in two strategic spots: next to incumbent Mayor Paul Hawkins’ spot outside the polling place, and at the traffic light at McNally’s Curve. Byler shuttled back and forth, delivering Chik-fil-A biscuits to his faithful. At the curve, Byler’s team blasted contemporary Christian music and waved at traffic.
“The town has grown very quickly,” Byler said before the election. “It has outgrown its infrastructure, and the growth needs to be managed. I have served for nearly 12 years on the LCPC, I’ve been the chairman for eight. I’ve been watching the growth, seeing what’s been taking place, and realizing that our growth has outdistanced our infrastructure.”
Hawkins said he had lost 40 pounds while battling a severe staph infection, shoulder surgery, and a heart issue, which had sidelined him for the past four months. Undaunted, Hawkins clutched his campaign sign and waved to passersby on E. Oglethorpe Ave. His wife and son joined his team.
But before mid-morning, Hawkins admitted, “I think I might not win this thing.”
Flemington’s city council was a rubber-stamp affair, with six candidates for six at-large seats and no visible campaigning. The ballot also contained six blanks for write-in candidates, which drew 19 votes, although no write-in candidate had qualified.
| Martin | 221 | 17.48% |
| Logan (I) | 220 | 17.41% |
| Harwell (I) | 218 | 17.25% |
| H. Patel (I) | 204 | 16.14% |
| Smiley | 204 | 16.14% |
| M. Patel | 197 | 15.59% |
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