Isaiah Hugley likes to describe where he started: a public housing apartment in Baker Village, a family on welfare, trips to the store on Fort Benning Road with food stamps, and rides on the city’s Metra buses.
On Jan. 4, 2027, he will be sworn in as the 71st mayor of Columbus and the first Black mayor voters have elected in the city’s 198-year history.
“I’m ready to go to work for the people of Columbus, Georgia,” Hugley said the night he won.
A historic first
Hugley won the June 16 runoff with 16,309 votes (51.6%) to 15,312 (48.4%) for City Council member Joanne Cogle, a margin of fewer than 1,000 votes. He had led a six-candidate field in the May primary with nearly 45% of the vote…