COVINGTON, Ga. - Longtime resident, and local business owner, Steve Plitt has announced his intention to run for the council seat currently held by Michael Whatley who is not seeking re-election. 

“At the urging of my friends and family, I am excited and proud to announce my candidacy for the Covington City Council East Ward 2," he said. "The skill sets that I have developed as a small business owner over the past 24 years and my ongoing community service enables me to provide strong and positive community leadership. Quite simply, I want to serve and give back to this great community of Covington and I am prepared to do so. It is my belief that we can embrace our small-town culture while promoting growth and prosperity for our community. You can count on my serving Covington by listening to the concerns of all citizens and representing those views to the best of my ability.”

Plitt is a long time resident and successful business owner that has called Covington home for more than 30 years. 

"There is no better person that I can think of to serve the community than my husband," Kaye Spell Plitt said. "He has always been willing to give his time to causes that are near and dear to his heart. Whether it is coaching our boys' sports team, or serving on the Zoning and Planning Commission. Steve is the one I know will give his all to this community.”

Steve is a father of two sons, Eric, 36, and Zack, 19; Eric and his wife Kaylin are the proud parents of a grandchild, Wyatt. 

“Both of our children have gone through school here from elementary to graduation," Plitt said. "We have been members of Eastridge Community Church for over 20 years. We are proud to call Covington home. We are glad that our oldest son has decided to live and raise his family in Covington. That is the main motivation for my run, I want more of our kids to want to come back home to raise their families.”

When asked about his priorities Plitt said, ”Public safety is definitely at the top of the list. As our city grows it will be important to ensure our citizens are protected by providing our first responders with what they need. The city has definitely done a better job of that over the past few years, but we must be  vigilant about ensuring we keep pace with our growth.

“We should also be looking at ensuring we have the proper infrastructure in place to address the growth. We can not afford to look in the rearview mirror, we must plan  so we can deliver the services that are important to our citizens.”

“Finally, we must ensure that we have smart and beneficial economic development so that we continue to see new opportunities for our citizens. Things have been done to help us provide our citizens with desirable jobs. It is my belief that with my business focused voice on the council we can ensure those new opportunities continue.”

When asked what he wants people to know about him as his campaign starts, Plitt responded, ”The citizens should know that I am all about solutions. It is easy to get on Facebook and complain all the time, but I will be an elected official who works with people to find solutions to our problems.”