Seats for the Milledgeville City Council and an opening for mayor will be voted on Nov. 4 to decide the new municipal leaders. The Baldwin Bulletin reached out to all competing citizens via email with a free single three-question questionnaire to learn more about each candidate.
The questionnaire was emailed Aug. 28 and due by Sept. 15 to give ample time for each candidate to respond. The questions included: tell us about your family, how long have you lived in Milledgeville, and what inspired you to run?
District 1
Incumbent Dr. Collinda Lee is currently on council as the
district representative and is running unopposed.
District 2
Arlene Simmons, Brooks Snider, and Shidonna Solomon are running against each other. None of these individuals are incumbents and are non-partisan candidates.
Simmons was born in Milledgeville and for “two decades has dedicated my life to service as a mom of three beautiful children, a nurse, a community advocate, and a hands-on problem solver.” Simmons said she decided to run because she “believes the district deserves leadership that listens, takes action and delivers results.” Her priorities include strengthening the local economy, ensuring District 2 has a voice, and coming up with community-based solutions to lower crime.
Snider has lived in Baldwin County for 60 years and District 2 for 25 years. He has been married to Karen Snider for 23 years and has no children. He graduated from Baldwin High School in 1983, served in the U.S. Army from 1984-86, graduated Georgia College with a psychology master of science in 1996, and has worked at Central State Hospital for 29 years as a Recovery Planning Team facilitator in Developmental Disabilities and Forensic Mental Health. He plans to retire in December.
“My love for Milledgeville and Baldwin County, and all the people who are committed to move our community forward inspired me to run. My plan is to do everything I can to improve and grow District 2. I feel a connection with the needs of District 2,” wrote Snider. “These needs include growth of industry jobs, increasing youth access to positive growth, increased support from the city, including infrastructure, improvements in community safety, and increased communication and action between city and county leaders.”
Shidonna Solomon is a resident of District 2 from the “southside.” She is a member of the Milledgeville Improvement Community and has worked as a senior caregiver and is currently working with Georgia College’s Communities in Schools.
“I will serve with the intention of closing the misunderstanding and miscommunication gap between the citizens, the elected mayor, and the Board of Elections,” said Solomon.
District 3
Incumbent Denese Shinholster is running. She is currently on council as the district representative and is running unopposed.
District 4
Morgan Pendergast is running unopposed. She is from a non-partisan party. Pendergast was born in Milledgeville, attended Baldwin County public schools, and earned her accounting degree from Georgia College. She worked in the Milledgeville’s downtown historic district in numerous establishments and is both a homeowner and a business owner in District 4.
“I wanted to give back and continue to invest in the city that’s offered so much to me and my family,” said Pendergast. “I want to protect the things that make Milledgeville special while supporting projects that will cultivate a community.”
District 5
Incumbent Shonya Mapp is running. She is currently on council as the district representative and is running unopposed.
District 6
Jeffery Wells and Kayla Brownlow are running as non-partisan candidates.
Wells and his family have lived in Milledgeville for the past decade. However, his family has been connected to the area since the 1970s, when his grandparents purchased a vacation home on Lake Sinclair. For the last 20 years, his parents have also owned property on the lake.
“After completing graduate school at GCSU in 2006, I began teaching at Georgia Military College in Atlanta, later transferring to the Online College in 2014. It was during that time that I decided to make Milledgeville my permanent home,” wrote Wells. “As a genealogist, I have even discovered ancestors who lived here throughout much of the 1800s. This family history, along with my personal experiences, has given me a deep sense of belonging and a lasting affection for this community.
“I enjoy blogging, genealogy, and volunteering with civic, charitable, and service organizations throughout Milledgeville and Baldwin County. I also have a special interest in historic cemeteries. As the author of four books on Georgia history and folklore, and as a history professor at the college level, my love for history and community is at the center of who I am,” Wells added.
Since moving to Milledgeville, Wells has become involved with the Exchange Club of Milledgeville, Keep Milledgeville-Baldwin Beautiful, the Chamber of Commerce Foundation Board, the Milledgeville Christmas Parade Committee, the GCSU Alumni Association, and Lockerly Arboretum.
“Through these roles, I gained a clearer view of where our city most needs support. As a former small business owner and a board member of two tourism councils in similar communities, I know firsthand the importance of supporting small business,” wrote Wells. “Our city also has unique opportunities to expand recreational, historical, and sports tourism. With my background working with the Georgia Main Street program, what used to be the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade, and Tourism, as well as on two tourism councils in two other cities in Georgia, I want the opportunity to bring those experiences to Milledgeville to promote the many assets we have here to promote tourism and bolster the hospitality industry here.”
Brownlow has lived in Milledgeville since 2006. She has been married to her husband, Mark, for 10 years and has two children, Tinsley (8) and Benjamin (4).
“While I wasn’t born here, this is the place I proudly call my hometown— it’s where I live, work, raise my family, and invest in the future every day. Mark and I chose to put down roots here because Milledgeville has the best of both worlds: it’s a welcoming, close-knit community where neighbors truly know and look out for one another, and it also offers the opportunities, history, and natural beauty that make it such a unique and special place to live,” wrote Brownlow.
Brownlow learned through programs, like Leadership Georgia College and Leadership Baldwin, about how the city works and the “potential we have yet to unlock.” But what led her to want to be more involved, was “a dangerous crash” her husband and daughter were involved in at Dunlap and North Jefferson in 2023.
“I took my concerns to the city council and, through continued conversations, saw how persistence and collaboration can lead to real change. That experience showed me how speaking up can make a difference — and it inspired me to want to do even more,” said Brownlow. “You only get one hometown, and for me, it’s Milledgeville. I envision a future full of connection and collaboration, as well as thriving businesses, safer roads, and greater transparency in local government.”
Mayor’s race
Current City Council District 4 Representative Walter Reynolds and incumbent Mayor Mary Parham-Copelan are running against each other.
Reynolds was born in Milledgeville and married his wife, Emilie, last November. The pair live together with their Baldwin County Animal Shelter rescue cat, Merlin. Reynolds attended the Baldwin County public school system, earned his associate’s degree from Georgia Military College and later completed his bachelor’s degree in communication at Georgia College.
“I had a 10-year career here in local radio before opening my small business, Old Capitol Productions, and I actually became the fourth generation of my family to work on the Central State Hospital Campus when I was tasked with reopening the Chapel of All Faiths to the community,” wrote Reynolds.
“When I was first elected to City Council at 25, I was the youngest person in Milledgeville’s history to serve,” he added. “That was twelve years ago, and in that time, I’ve done my best to be a steady, responsive voice for my district and to show up for this community in every way I can.”
Reynolds decided to run for mayor because he is “too familiar with the limits of what one council member can accomplish alone” and because this is the “biggest turnover” for the city council to bring in “fresh energy” and “new leadership” that will allow the council and mayor to “reimagine how our city does business.”
“I’m running because I believe Milledgeville is ready for meaningful change, and I know the mayor’s office is where I can best put my skills and leadership to work for the advancement of our city,” wrote Reynolds. “As a community, Milledgeville has endured decades of change — the dramatic downsizing of Central State, prison closures, the loss of manufacturing jobs like Rheem, and the closure of Georgia Power’s Plant Branch, to name a few. So much change was done to us that, in many ways, we pulled back the reins and circled the wagons, hesitant and defensive to what might come next. The problem is that after so long looking backward at what’s been done to us, city leadership has lost sight of the opportunity for change to come through us…If we come together, collaborate, communicate, and commit to changing the way we do business, I know we can build a better Milledgeville for everyone.”
Parham- Copelan did not respond to the questionnaire.
To learn more about each candidate or get contact information, refer to mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/ qualifying-candidate-information? election-Year=2025.