Newly elected Waynesboro City Council member Lorie Strother is taking a moment to catch her breath after a successful election campaign.
Strother, who ran as an independent, won her contested Ward A seat with 994 votes. Her opponent, Republican David “Major Dave” Goetze received 765 votes. Current Ward A representative Lana Williams did not run for re-election.
“It feels good. It certainly does. I am just honored. I’m humbled,” Strother told AFP in an interview on Sunday.
Strother is the second Black woman to win a seat on Council, and while she appreciates the message that might send to a younger generation, she wants to be known as much more than just the color of her skin. In her words, she wants to be representative of a “Black, educated, middle-aged woman with a voice.”
“I’m pleased to be a role model for folks only in such as I’m able to get there so people can see some like themselves, other little girls or other grown women can see that, hey, you know, someone that does look like me can achieve that, and I can go for that too,” she said.
More than just a slogan: ‘We Have What It Takes’
Strother’s campaign slogan was “We Have What It Takes.” The slogan was born out of a RISE candidate forum where she said her opponent told the children in attendance that “most of you won’t have what it takes” to be School Board or City Council leaders in the community.
The comment from her opponent left a bad taste in her mouth, and she set out to counter that message.
“I was kind of flabbergasted by that,” the mom of five told AFP.
Strother knew she could be the voice for the East side of the city and reinforce to young people who live there that anything is possible.
The campaign
As a first-time candidate, Strother learned the ins and outs of campaigning and getting out the vote on Election Day. She used texting to send out campaign messages and to remind constituents in Ward A to vote on Nov. 5.
She also went door-to-door canvassing with volunteers, set up multiple meet-and-greet events at local businesses and talked with various city department heads over the span of six months or more.
When she showed up at doors, she said the residents seemed impressed that someone was coming to their home and willing to listen to them.
Strother learned that what the working-class people on the East Side, which includes her, wanted to talk about were mostly practical things like the boom truck.
While this was her first run for City Council, she has been involved with the city in multiple capacities over the years: serving nine years on the Economic Development Authority and seven years on the Waynesboro Cultural Commission. She’s also performed on the entertainment circuit for decades as the “Dreaded Blues Lady.”
Looking ahead
Strother will formally take her seat on Waynesboro City Council at the city’s first meeting in January. She joins current Council members Terry Short (Ward B), Kenny Lee (Ward C) and Jim Wood (Ward D). The At-Large representative, Republican Jeremy Sloat, will also join the five-member Council in January.
Strother is looking forward to shifting from campaign mode to finding solutions to make a difference in Waynesboro.
She wants to hit the ground running, but she said, she also realizes that many of the issues important to her, housing and homelessness for example, won’t be solved on day one.
“It has been a long, really half the year, in basically doing this,” Strother said. “I have this small window of time to take a breath.
“As far as delving into it wholeheartedly, no, I’m just trying to get a breather, and then, you know, once the New Year comes, I’m in it.”
Video: Lorie Strother discusses Waynesboro
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For additional coverage, search “Waynesboro City Council” on Augusta Free Press.
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Crystal Graham
