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Welaka Town Hall
One Welaka candidate is running to keep her seat while another seeks to be a new face on the Town Council.
On Jan. 11, Councilwoman Marianne Milledge, who has been on the council since 2019, filed her intent to run again for a seat on the town council, the Supervisor of Elections Office confirmed. Two days earlier, newcomer Kim Dugger made her candidacy official, election records show.
Welaka’s election takes place on March 7, the Elections Office’s website states, and two council seats and the mayor’s seat are up for grabs.
The Church of Welaka, 638 Third Ave., will be the polling place and will be open 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. March 7, according to Welaka’s website.
Candidates wishing to run for a seat in Welaka must submit their petition to run to the Supervisor of Elections Office, 2509 Crill Ave., Suite 400, in Palatka, by noon Friday. The petition must be signed by 10 eligible Welaka voters, according to the Elections Office.
Terms for mayors and council members last two years.
Mayor Jamie Watts filed earlier this month to run again for his position as town leader.
Only residents who live within the town limits of Welaka can vote in this election.
Welaka elections occur every two years, and Councilwoman Tonya Long would have to run again to remain on the governmental body. As of Monday, she had not filed to run again.
Residents voted last year to re-elect Jessica Finch and bring Kathy Washington onto the council. Washington replaced her father, longtime councilman Willie Washington Jr., who died in 2021 just a few weeks before former Welaka Mayor Gordon Sands passed away.
Washington and Finch’s re-election cycle would happen in 2024.