COVINGTON, Ga. - Covington Mayor Ronnie Johnston has announced plans to seek a third term as Covington’s Mayor. 

“It has been an honor serving the citizens over the past two terms," Johnston said. "When looking back over my time in office, seeing how far Covington has come from where we started is astonishing. The groundwork has been laid for life-changing opportunities for our citizens. If we don’t capitalize on that groundwork, we will have left so much on the table.

"During my time as Mayor, we have seen tremendous investments by businesses that are coming to Covington to bring jobs for our citizens.  My primary focus as Mayor has been to focus on eradicating poverty and ensuring anyone who wants a job can have a good one. That mission will continue as we work on improving the living standards of everyone.”

Johnston’s past two terms have seen unemployment in Covington drop by more than 10% and the average median household income has risen by more than $20,000. 

“These successes have led to us going from having a surplus of housing in the city, to us now concentrating on ensuring our citizens have quality options for housing,” Johnston said.

“There are so many other great things we have seen during my time as Mayor. Like the revitalization of the square, Legion Field and the start of Central Park. The Highway 278 Community Improvement District has started breathing new life into the 278 corridor.  Kroger’s recent announcement to start a nearly $1 million renovation this summer is a great example of this progress.”

Johnston was also instrumental in the process of ensuring the Covington Police Department will soon have a new state of the art station.  During his tenure, the police department has also seen the addition of seven new police officers. The Covington Fire Department has seen improvements during this time as well with the addition of a new fire truck.  

“Supporting first responders and citizens' safety is a priority,” Johnston said.

Johnston chose to make his declaration on the weekend we honor our fathers as a nation and honoring, in particular, his late father Dr. John C. Johnston.

“My role as a father and grandfather motivate me to keep our community moving forward," Johnston said. "We owe it to our children and grandchildren to continue to make Covington an even stronger community. There are four generations of Johnstons that currently call Covington home, and I want to make sure the fifth generation is proud to call Covington home also.”

The mayor invites citizens to share their dreams and visions with him and is available on his cell phone at 770-262-1001. If you prefer email, please send to rjohnston@cityofcovington.org.