Garden City, Georgia was incorporated on February 8, 1939. It operates under a council-administrator form of government. By 2011, its city council was scheduled to be composed of one mayor and five city council members, each representing a different section of town.

The current mayor is Tennyson Holder. Re-elected to the city council in 2009, he was appointed by his colleagues to serve the remainder of Anthony "Andy" Quinney's unexpired mayoral term.Tennyson Holder takes reins as Garden City mayor, Savannah Morning News, October 5, 2009

As of 2010, Garden City has never collected property taxes.Charles Cochran, Race seems like musical chairs, Savannah Morning News, October 3, 2003

Council meetings

The council meets on the first and the third Mondays of each month at 7:00 p.m.City of Garden City, Chatham County Governmental Directory, p. 83 Meetings have taken place at:

Garden City Community House, 78 Varnedoe Avenue, from 1951 until 1963 Garden City City Hall, 100 Main Street, from 1963 to 2009New Garden City Town Hall Opens, Savannah Morning News, September 9, 1963 Garden City Town Center, 100 Central Avenue, since 2009

Mayors

Until 2003, the mayor and the council members were elected to two-year terms of office. In 2003, staggered four-year terms were introduced.Chatham County's municipal races shape up, Savannah Morning News, September 13, 2003

Past and presents mayors are:

InaugurationTerm expirationMayorPartyOther elective offices April 7, 1939December 11, 1941Edgar C. PipkinDemocratChatham County commissioner, 1951–1961 December 11, 1941December 9, 1943Edgar C. PipkinDemocrat December 9, 1943December 13, 1945Edgar C. PipkinDemocrat December 13, 1945December 11, 1947Edgar C. PipkinDemocrat December 11, 1947December 8, 1949Edgar C. PipkinDemocrat December 8, 1949December 13, 1951J. Arlie RoweDemocratGarden City Council member, 1939–1941 December 13, 1951December 10, 1953J. Arlie RoweDemocrat December 10, 1953September 3, 1954Rowe resigned before the end of his term of office. Mayor J.A. Rowe Resigns, Savannah Morning News, September 4, 1954J. Arlie RoweDemocrat October 5, 1954Oglesby was appointed by his colleagues of the City Council to complete Rowe's unexpired term. Warren Oglesby Named Mayor of Garden City, Savannah Morning News, October 5, 1954December 8, 1955Warren F. Oglesby Sr.DemocratGarden City Council member, 1949–1954 December 8, 1955December 12, 1957Warren F. Oglesby Sr.Democrat December 12, 1957December 10, 1959Warren F. Oglesby Sr.Democrat December 10, 1959December 14, 1961Warren F. Oglesby Sr.Democrat December 14, 1961December 12, 1963Rupert W. BazemoreDemocratGarden City Council member, 1955–1959 December 12, 1963December 9, 1965Rupert W. BazemoreDemocrat December 9, 1965December 14, 1967Rupert W. BazemoreDemocrat December 14, 1967December 11, 1969Rupert W. BazemoreDemocrat December 11, 1969December 9, 1971Rupert W. BazemoreDemocrat December 9, 1971December 13, 1973Rupert W. BazemoreDemocrat December 13, 1973December 11, 1975James M. "Jimmie" DeLoachDemocratGarden City Council member, 1971–1973;Chatham County commissioner, 1980–1992 December 11, 1975December 8, 1977James M. "Jimmie" DeLoachDemocrat December 8, 1977December 13, 1979James M. "Jimmie" DeLoachDemocrat December 13, 1979December 10, 1981Ralph O. KesslerRepublicanGarden City Council member, 1975–1979 December 10, 1981December 8, 1983Ralph O. KesslerRepublican December 8, 1983December 12, 1985Ralph O. KesslerRepublican December 12, 1985December 10, 1987E. James "Jimmy" BurnsedRepublicanGarden City Council member, 1979–1985;Bryan County commission chairman since 2005Burnsed will run for re-election in Bryan, Savannah Morning News, April 2, 2008  December 10, 1987December 14, 1989E. James "Jimmy" BurnsedRepublican December 14, 1989January 6, 1992Ralph O. KesslerRepublican January 6, 1992January 3, 1994LeRoy "Roy" L. CragerRepublicanGarden City Council member, 1981–1992; 2000–2002 January 3, 1994January 8, 1996LeRoy "Roy" L. CragerRepublican January 8, 1996January 5, 1998James "Jay" W. HarrellRepublicanGarden City Council member, 1969–1987;1989–1992; 2000–2002 January 5, 1998January 2, 2000Dean KicklighterRepublicanGarden City Council member, 1996–1998;Chatham County commissioner, since 2000Commissioner Dean Kicklighter, District 7  January 2, 2000January 6, 2002Ralph O. KesslerRepublican January 6, 2002January 5, 2004Anthony "Andy" QuinneyRepublicanGarden City Council member, 1998–2000 January 5, 2004January 7, 2008Anthony "Andy" QuinneyRepublican January 7, 2008September 25, 2009Quinney resigned before the end of his third mayoral term. Garden City's mayor resigns, Savannah Morning News, Jenel Few, September 26, 2009Anthony "Andy" QuinneyRepublicanOctober 5, 2009Holder was appointed by the City Council to serve the remainder of Anthony "Andy" Quinney's unexpired term. Tennyson Holder takes reins as Garden City mayor, Savannah Morning News, Michael Atkins, October 5, 2009January 2, 2012Tennyson HolderGarden City Council member, 1992–2009

Color code:

Council members

Past and present council members are: Willie L. Adams 1959–1961 Rupert W. Bazemore 1955–1961 Mayor of Garden City, 1961–1973 Viola W. BellViola Bell was the first elected Black council member in Garden City. 1985–2000 Don Bethune Since 2010 Frederick Dekle Blackburn Jr. 1988–1992 M.O. Blackburn Jr. 1954–1959 M.O. Blackburn Sr. 1940–1941; 1943–1945 John R. Blackwell 1949–1953 I. Clifford Blount Jr. 1947–1949 Bobby G. Bohler 1973–1975 Jessie L. Bowman 1953–1958 Clark F. Branch 1959–1961 James A. Bridgforth 1961–1965; 1969–1971 Elbert N. Brown 1953–1954 Ernest M. Brown Sr. 1961–1973 Robert "Bob" Bryant Sr. 1996–2004 Georgia House Representative, since 2005 E. James "Jimmy" Burnsed 1979–1985 Mayor of Garden City, 1985–1989Chair of the Bryan County Commission, since 2005 J. Lawrence Cavanah 1961–1969; 1971–1973 Stanley Childers 1996–2000 Keith Cox 1971–1978 LeRoy "Roy" L. Crager 1981–1992; 2000–2002 Mayor of Garden City, 1992–1996 Lois T. DasherLois Dasher was appointed in 1978 and became the first elected female council member in Garden City in 1979. 1978–1985 James M. "Jimmie" DeLoach 1971–1973 Mayor of Garden City, 1973–1979Chatham County commissioner, 1980–1992 J.A. "Sonny" Dixon 1985–1988 Georgia House representative, 1989–1997 Ralph V. Dodd 1971–1981 Fred S. Elliott 1959–1961 C. Marvin Exley 1949–1959 Welcome G. Farr 1961–1967 Kay A. Ford1996–1998 Member of the school board Alton D. Fryer 1947–1958 W.J. Fussell 1947–1949 Scott A. George 2012–present Mayor pro tem Dan W. Gray 1941–1943 L. Fred Griffin, III 1989–1992 Joseph W. Guill 1943–1947 Gwyn L. Hall Sr. 1996–1998; since 2004 James "Jay" W. Harrell Jr. 1969–1987; 1989–1992; 2000–2002 Mayor of Garden City, 1996–1998 Amos C. Hathaway 1957–1959 Steve T. Hattrich Jr. 1965–1971 Edwin B. Hemby 1943–1947 Lawrence E. Hill Jr. 1973–1987 Claude Hodges Jr. 1973–1977 A. Tennyson Holder 1992–2009 Mayor of Garden City, since 2009 Connie S. Holland 1994–1996 Darrel Hutcheson 1977–1987 J.Q. James 1945–1947 M.C. Jones 1947–1949 R. Bowen Jones 1971–1992; since 2000 William B. Jones 1939–1945 Ralph O. Kessler 1975–1979 Mayor of Garden City, 1979–1985; 1989–1992 Bessie Kicklighter Since 2002 Dean Kicklighter 1996–1998 Mayor of Garden City, 1998–2000Chatham County commissioner, since 2000 W.A. Marks 1940–1943 John C. McCord 1939–1945 S.L. McDonald 1939–1941 William Durward Motes Since 2004 Wendell P. Neville 1961–1965 Warren F. Oglesby Sr. 1949–1954 Mayor of Garden City, 1954–1961 Marion F. Peterson 1967–1969 W. Roy Poe 1952–1953; 1955–1957 Anthony "Andy" Quinney 1998–2000 Mayor of Garden City, 2002–2009 Ted O. Romine 1969–1971 J. Arlie Rowe 1939–1941 Mayor of Garden City, 1949–1954 George A. Seckinger 1961–1965 Misty Bethune Selph 2006–2010 Judy Moore Shuman Since 2002 Carlie L. Smith 1965–1969 Edsel Smith 1965–1971 James "Jimmy" Lee Spilliards 2000–2004; since 2009 Jack C. Stafford 1961–1969 Ron Stephens 1994–1996 Georgia House representative, since 1997 Carl G. Story 1949–1953 Shelby Strickland 1996–2000 H.W. Tuten 1939–1940; 1941–1943 John Underwood 1969–1971 Hal A. Van Sickle 1940–1941; 1945–1949; 1954–1959 Robert Edward Wilder 1987–1992; 1994–1996; 2000–2002 Earl Wilson 2002–2004

Footnotes

See also Garden City, Georgia Savannah, Georgia Mayors of Savannah, Georgia