On November 7, Baldwin voters will go to the polls to elect a new mayor. The seat was left open by the resignation of Joe Elam earlier this year. Political newcomer Tom Whitney is running against incumbent Post 3 councilmember Stephanie Almagno.
Now Habersham asked the candidates to share their visions and views. Below are their responses.
Tell us about yourself:
Almagno: After more than 25 years in Georgia, I retired from my initial professional career in higher education, and in January of 2020, I was sworn in as a member of the Baldwin City Council. My husband, a small business owner, and I raised our daughter in Baldwin; she graduated from Habersham Central High School in 2018. When I’m not working on projects for Baldwin, I maintain a small organic farm where I grow heirloom produce to share with family and friends. Issues surrounding soil health and food independence have become central areas of interest for me.
Whitney: I have lived in the City of Baldwin for just over three years. Prior to moving here, I lived for 25+ years in the far west suburbs of Chicago. I left the big city for a simpler way of life and to escape its far-left progressive policies. I have been married to my wife Georgia for two years and have five children with ages ranging from 14-22 years.
I have over 20 years of experience in consumer finance, primarily tasked with leading/managing multilevel operations for Fortune 500 companies, including having been a regional executive where I managed the overall business process of a large fulfillment center with five vice president direct reports and aggregate production staff greater than 200 full-time employees. Prior to my career in finance, I served for 10 years as an associate pastor and youth minister in the United Methodist Church, and although my career path may have gone in an entirely different direction, it has always been my love for God and desire to serve his people that has been the driving force and foundation of my success.
Why are you running for Mayor of Baldwin?
Almagno: I‘m running for mayor because the city deserves someone ready to do the job on day one. I bring a love of our city, a vision for the future, and the strongest practical and theoretical background to the position. In the four years serving on council, we worked through a global pandemic and multiple natural disasters that affected the county, generally, and Baldwin specifically. Had I served at any other moment, I might not have had the breadth of on-the-job training as I received between 2020-2023. For example, council members were intentionally drawn into discussions of ARPA funding, GEFA loans for enterprise fund projects, and bonuses/salary discussions for essential workers. While working to understand the many financial, staffing, equipment, and infrastructure needs of running a city, I enrolled in a variety of training opportunities. This year, I earned the Certificate of Excellence for more than 120 hours of municipal training through GMA, Georgia Municipal Association. In these four years, I built personal relationships with staff and citizens addressing their concerns not only with the real-life knowledge of a complex city facing growth but also with best practices drawn from coursework and conversations with other officials elected throughout the state who’ve faced similar situations.
Whitney: I love this city and the community it is a part of. There is nothing better than a place where people gather at the local ‘mom and pop’ restaurant and unite as a community under the Friday night lights in support of the local high school football team or watch the marching band lead the halftime entertainment! In many ways, the City of Baldwin is ‘small town America’ at its finest, and in other ways it is far from that. A brief drive around the city will open one’s eyes to the opportunities we have with aging infrastructure, and that doesn’t include the underground infrastructure that needs to be addressed. Attending a city council or town hall meeting will show how disengaged the community is in the decisions being made that affect their daily lives. If you speak with many community and city leaders throughout Habersham County, there is an overwhelming sentiment that Baldwin has ostracized itself from the greater community and that new leadership with new ideas is sorely needed. I agree.
This does not mean there aren’t great things going on in our city, nor does it mean that we haven’t made strides to improve damaged relationships. I believe, however, that the City of Baldwin has an identity crisis, and the time has come for new leadership with new ideas to step in and build a shared vision. The vision I am talking about is one that is shared by the entire community – its citizens and its businesses, not by a handful of leaders with a desire to retain a false sense of power. In fact, I find it ironic that the few people who have come out in opposition to my running for mayor are (some of) the same people that have asked me, ‘Why don’t you run for council? That is where the power is’ or ‘The Mayor doesn’t have any power, it is merely a ceremonial role.’ My answer to these questions has been and will always be ‘GOOD!’ The quest for power in government will only divide us, and the truth is, true power is with the PEOPLE that we have the pleasure of serving! I believe my over 20 years of experience in leadership and operations management makes me the right candidate at this period in our history to lead the City of Baldwin to build a shared vision, unite leadership, and return the power back to the people.
What is your vision for the city of Baldwin?
Almagno
My vision for Baldwin complements the infrastructure and budgetary work that we have accomplished during my four-year term. I will help Baldwin maintain its water and wastewater facilities to accommodate impending growth in the next 5-10 years. Because Baldwin supplies the majority of water to the county through agreements with sister cities, it’s imperative to maintain our infrastructure. This makes Baldwin a good community partner. Additionally, I’d like to bring outdoor recreational activities to the south end of the county. We’ve already initiated conversations for pickleball courts near city hall, a walking or biking trail off Stonepile Street, and the renewal of a small city park that’s been largely unused in recent years. In keeping with Baldwin’s agrarian past, I’d like to see us develop a community garden. This ongoing conversation needs to come to fruition. I want to continue to make Baldwin a great place to live, work, play & worship.
Whitney
Re-establish ourselves as both a player and partner across BOTH Habersham and Banks Counties. ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’
Repair bridges with community and civic leaders throughout Habersham County and grow new strategic partnerships
With the #1 residential growth opportunity being in Banks County, we need to engage and partner with school leaders to share ideas and ensure that the quality of our education is of the highest priority, as it has a direct impact on our ability to attract families, residential housing development, and home values.
My campaign will focus on:
• Community engagement – understanding and meeting the needs of our people through:
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- Small, targeted neighborhood meetings
- Baldwin area business leadership forums
- Transparency and advertising for EVERY meeting and event
- Increase and enhance our online presence
Address aging infrastructure
• Address abandoned businesses and structures
• Address ongoing water losses – identification and prevention
