With less than two weeks until municipal elections and a special vote for a state House seat are held, candidates made a pitch for their bids at the Effingham Chamber of Commerce monthly breakfast.

Polls will be open Nov. 3 for races in Rincon and Springfield and for the state House District 159 seat. The two races for Guyton’s city council are uncontested.

Rincon Mayor Ken Lee, seeking a second term in office, said he was proud of what the city has done in his four years.

“I’m real pleased with the things we’ve been able to accomplish,” he said. “The thing that I see is how much more we have to do, how much more we want to do. I’m just proud of the accomplishments, and I desire to be able to do more.”

Lee said it would be easy to let himself think that elected office is a thankless job.

“I believe to feel otherwise. You come under a lot of criticism, and it’s easy to get your feelings hurt if you allow that to happen,” he said. “There are also people who recognize the good that you do. Time and time again, God places people in my path who encourage me and recognize the good things we do, and I’m thankful for that.”

Former Rincon mayor and city council member George Saraf is running against Lee. Saraf said he enjoyed his previous tenure on council, which lasted 17 and a half years.

“I’m retired, and I have time to take care of business,” he said.

Saraf also joked he couldn’t "stand to see Ken Lee running unopposed.”

Ann Purcell, a former state lawmaker running for Buddy Carter’s vacated state House seat, said that while she has not been an elected representative, she has been serving the county as a member of the state Technical College System board.

Savannah Technical College’s Effingham campus, which Purcell pushed for, is flourishing to the point that trailers have been brought in to handle the demand, she said.

“All levels of education are very important,” she said, “whether it be preschool, kindergarten, working with our board of education, working with our faculty, that’s how we know what our needs are and what are students’ demands can be.”

Purcell noted how the state has cut its spending to go with a 16 percent drop in revenue.

“This is a dire need for revenue, and it’s not coming in,” she said.

The Technical College System staggered a state-mandated three-day furlough and allowed the schools’ presidents to see what was best for their facilities and adjust for their campuses.

All TCG employees took one furlough day and a second day was mandated for employees with a higher salary, keeping the lower-salaried employees at work, Purcell said. For the third furlough day, it was put into effect for the highest-salaried levels.

Purcell said there are opportunities for communities to work together on infrastructure such as roads and water and sewer.

“This is not an I’ or a ‘me’ situation — this is a ‘we’ situation,” she said.

Purcell also implored voters to go to the polls and not to wait until the Nov. 3 election date. Early voting is ongoing and will close Oct. 30.
Purcell’s opponent, Jessie Tyler of Rincon, did not attend the forum.

Jeff Northway, one of two candidates for the mayor’s seat in Springfield, said he wants to continue to improve the quality of life for the town’s residents. Northway and Wanda Laning are competing for the seat being vacated by Barton Alderman.

“I just hope I can do as a good job as Mr. Barty has done,” Northway said. “He’s done a wonderful job. I’m going to try to do as good a job as I can for the citizens of Springfield.”

Laning was not present at the forum.