Editor's note: This story originally ran in the Nov. 12 edition of The Covington News without comment from Johnson and Rutberg. Both candidates have given comments since the original story.

COVINGTON, Ga. – The City of Covington will see a large shakeup take place on its city council as three seats will be filled by incoming members.

Kim Johnson, Travis Moore and Jared Rutberg won seats on the city council following their respective election wins on Nov. 7.

WEST POST 1

Kim Johnson will now be the new representative for West Ward, Post 1, succeeding Kenneth Morgan who was unsuccessful in his bid for Mayor.

Johnson is currently the owner of Salon at The Grove and ran unopposed. She says that she plans to bring a different perspective to the council.

“While it may sound counterintuitive, I think my fresh perspective will be not having a political science background,” Johnson said. “I think it will give me a different lens to look through that of an average citizen.”

Johnson says she plans on addressing the homeless situation within the first 60 days of her term and hopes to make a plan on assisting individuals in need.

“Within my first 60 days in office, I would really like to make a solid change in our homeless situation,” Johnson said. “I would like to see a shelter that has the best interest of the people, and a shelter that has a plan to assist in getting these individuals the help they need to have another chance at a better life.”

EAST POST 2

Travis Moore is the winner of the East Ward, Post 2 race, defeating his opponent Carla Ferry 740-422. 

With 63.68 percent of the vote, Moore will be replacing Fleeta Baggett, who was elected as the new mayor of Covington.

Moore is a lifelong resident of Covington where he practices real estate. He is also a current member of the planning and zoning commission.

Moore said that he’s been campaigning hard since June and only “slowed down” at lunch time on the Wednesday following his win. 

“I feel good and kinda relieved now and feel like now I can take a breather,” Moore said.

Moore says that his main focus on his campaign is centered around growth in the city. 

“The central theme of my campaign is to get control of the reckless growth,” the new councilman said. “You can outrun your services, and we’re outrunning our public safety services. School systems [are] under a huge strain when you start some of these big developments, whether it’s single family or apartment complexes, they tend to dump a lot of units and a lot of school children into the system all at one time. It’s hard to plan for, you can’t absorb it, and it just puts a strain, even more strain, than what it’s already under.”

EAST POST 3

Jared Rutberg is the new East Ward, Post 3 representative following a 766-409 win over Dania Bernard.

Rutberg was able to comfortably win over Bernard, garnering 65.19 percent of the vote. He will replace Don Floyd who did not seek re-election.

“I am honored that the citizens see me as a strong voice to represent them and as a problem solver to concerns they have,” Rutberg said.

Rutberg owns several businesses in Covington including Covington Pro Lube, Kwik Change Complete Automotive and R5 Holdings. He plans to use what he’s learned in the business world and apply that to his new council seat.

“My business experience expanded the tough decision making ability, but also provided me with the ability to streamline processes, deep-dive into financials, find fiscally efficient ways to operate, and make sure every aspect of our operations focuses on the customer’s (or citizen's) perspective,” Rutberg said. “Combining that with my background on the planning commission, 278CID and airport authority, I have perspective on some of the government requirements that must be navigated and how our city operates.”

In his campaign Rutberg will look to put a control on some of the “uncontrolled growth” in Covington and will look to work together with the rest of council to provide the best for the citizens of Covington.

 “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to actively preserve our community’s character, represent our citizens and reestablish some of the charm that’s been overshadowed by recent uncontrolled growth,” Rutberg said.  “That doesn’t mean stopping growth…we just need to do it smartly.  We won’t all agree, any two of us won’t always agree, but we must all agree to always listen.  If everyone does that, we will do amazing things together.”