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Published Thursday, November 05, 2009 in Local

Coty defeats Sasso; Jabaley retains post in Grantville

By Jeff Bishop

The Times-Herald

The Grantville City Council will welcome a new member in January, with Selma Coty defeating incumbent Nick Sasso Tuesday by a vote of 146 to 73.

Incumbent Rochelle Jabaley easily defeated her challenger, Marion Cieslik, by a vote of 161 to 58.

"I appreciate everyone's support," Jabaley said Wednesday afternoon, the day after the election.

"I hope to get some fiscal responsibility in Grantville," she said, which will come in part through "trimming the police department to become a lean, mean machine."

Jabaley also wants to make sure the city employees are "efficient," enabling Grantville residents "to get the most bang for their buck."

Jabaley said during the election that she is proud to have called Grantville home since 1963.

"I have raised six children and have been in business since 1981," said the owner of Grantville Package Store.

Her vision for Grantville is "a revitalized downtown, with up-to-date infrastructure and a network of sidewalks connecting downtown to other areas."

She said Grantville would also be appropriate as a tourist attraction.

Selma Coty said that she hadn't even heard "the final tally" on the votes, "because the absentee votes have not been counted."

"I guess I will get that information from the paper," Coty said.

Coty, who formerly served on the Grantville City Council in the early 1990s, including a stint as interim mayor, said she will "hold the line" on property taxes, fees, and utilities. Taxes and utility fees have been raised by the council this year, she pointed out.

"Citizens feel disenfranchised," she said.

Coty served as a council member between 1990 and 1993. She served as the town's interim mayor in 1991 and 1992.

Coty, a native of Carroll County, is retired from the Georgia Power Company. She attended Georgia State University and Clayton State University.

She has served as chair of the Grantville Garden Club and as chair of the Grantville Keep America Beautiful Program.

She has also served as chair of the Grantville Public Library Board and has served on the roadside beautification legislative committee of the Garden Club of Georgia.

Coty promises to curb spending and "implement measures that will ensure financial accountability, help deal with an uncertain financial future, reduce cost and avoid debt."

She said she will propose changes to the council agenda that will allow more time for citizen comment. She said she wants to "initiate timely and accurate communication" and she said that she will "encourage and value citizens' opinions."

"Families move to a community because it meets their social, intellectual, and/or cultural needs," she said. "Although the quality of life is improving" in Grantville, Coty said, "more work is needed."