MOULTRIE — The four candidates for a seat on the Moultrie City Council bring diverse experience but all want to improve their district in Northwest Moultrie.

Margaret Mathis, John F. Bridges, Susie Magwood-Thomas and Lamonte Alderman are running for the Post 1, District 2 City Council seat. They are running to replace Councilwoman Betty Haggins, who did not seek re-election.

Lamonte Alderman

Alderman said he hopes to return to the council seat he held for eight years, from 1994 until 2002. He said he learned a lot while on the council and would like to continue the work that was started then.

One project Alderman said he would like to see completed is the Ryce Community Center. The original plans had for the center to have an amphitheater for church concerts and children’s plays and parking near the baseball park. He would also like to see drainage improvements in Northwest Moultrie and in all of Moultrie as well as utility bill help for the elderly and disabled.

Alderman said he has made some mistakes but learned from them, which has given him wisdom for another stint on the council.

“You have to build a house from the ground up,” Alderman said, “not the top down. If you build from the ground up, we’ll survive.”

John F. Bridges

Bridges said his work experience with Proctor & Gamble for 33 years is what the council needs. That job allowed him to develop leadership, instill accountability and ownership to self and others, and to identify the root cause of a problem and developing plans to solve the problem.

A lot of the problems concerning the city revolve around rising utility costs, Bridges said, and he said surveys must be conducted to analyze a plan to solve it. Educating people and making homes more energy efficient will help bring about a resolution, and Northwest Moultrie residents can then focus on other issues. He also wants to see a system of checks and balances in place to ensure the city is on the correct course to better the city and to make adjustments to correct any issues.

The chance to serve the city as a councilman is an opportunity to give back to this community, Bridges said. He hopes to bring accountability to the council and is committed to see change come to Moultrie, win or lose the election.

“If I am committed to do it,” Bridges said, “I am doing it. I made a commitment to myself to being a part (of the process).”