Politics & Government

The New Mayor of Grayson: Allison Wilkerson

The current councilwoman is running unopposed for the mayor's seat in the November general election.

Loganville-Grayson Patch is running profile pieces on the different candidates running in the city council race in November. 

For the city of Grayson, Post 2 and Post 4 are open on the council, and the mayor's seat also is open. Two residents have qualified as candidates for Post 4, while the other candidates for Post 2 and mayor are running unopposed. Allison Wilkerson is running for mayor.

Name: Allison Wilkerson 
How long have you lived in Grayson? 39 years
Educational background: I graduated from South Gwinnett High School in 1991 and Truett McConnell College in 1993
Family: Father, Doug Wilkerson
Military background: N/A
Occupation: I am an Associate Real Estate Broker with Properties Exchange

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How long have you served on the city council?  I was originally elected in November of 2001; therefore, I am finishing my 12th year, 6th term. 

What inspired you to run for mayor this term? I have lived in Grayson all of my life and have had the opportunity to learn from many great leaders. Seeing the impact that leadership can have on a community inspired me to get involved, and I am excited to have the opportunity to continue to serve Grayson as Mayor. I will continue to listen to our residents and our business owners to make all of my decisions based on what is best for the City.

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What are some of the notable projects you've helped or spearheaded in the past? I am proud to have been apart of the creation of our Downtown Development Authority. The DDA promotes quality business growth in the Uptown Grayson district and has several projects planned that will increase economic opportunities for our residents, merchants and business owners.  I have also served as co-coordinator of Grayson Day and our annual Christmas Tree Lighting for the past 12 years.

What are some of the immediate things you want to work on if you win the council seat?  There is a Request for Proposal out now for the landscaping maintenance of all City property. This will make sure that the City grounds, roadway medians and our entire park look their best at all times. I would like for the Welcome to Grayson signs, as you enter the City Limits be redesigned and replaced. Internally, I intend to streamline our policies and procedures to ensure that Grayson continues to be operated efficiently and responsibly. 
How would you accomplish them? I am proud of the way our Council and Staff work closely together and I’m confident that each of these projects will be executed with a spirit of collaboration and cooperation.

What are some of your long-term goals for the city? A majority of the roads in our subdivisions were all put in at the same time and are in need of resurfacing. I am looking forward to seeing the passive park area, amphitheater and the clock tower at Rosebud and Highway 20 designed and constructed. As Grayson grows, we need to allow for the infrastructure that our businesses need to grow along with the City; I intend to provide additional parking and pedestrian improvements in downtown, as well as less visible improvements like common storm water detention. 
How would you accomplish them? We intend to use SPLOST. SPLOST shows the commitment of the citizens to community improvement, because they must vote on the tax and the list of projects that it will fund. The Council has committed 60 percent of the 2014 SPLOST dollars to transportation. In addition, I will work closely with our DDA to use the tools that are available to them on the infrastructure improvements.

What do you think is the greatest challenge facing Grayson, and how would you approach it? Transportation! Now that 20 is complete, we still need to have the medians planted and maintained. We need to continue to attract quality development, especially in the commercial corridor.

Do you want to add anything? I can be reached at 678-776-6021 or awilkerson@cityofgrayson.org if anyone has questions or concerns.


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