Carol Bell reclaims Savannah’s At Large Post 1 seat she narrowly lost four years ago

With the Chatham County Board of Elections results tracker reporting 100% results at 10:01 p.m., Carol Bell rose from the field of seven candidates to be the clear winner of the Alderman At Large Post 1 race. While it may seem that Bell eked her way to victory with 51.41% of the total votes, the candidate pool of six other people spread out the other 48.59%, eliminating the possibility of a runoff. No other candidate breached 20% of the total turnout.

Of Bell’s other contenders, only Roshida Edwards broke into double digit percentage points. Embattled former city council member Tony Thomas finished in third place with just over nine percent of the vote. Neither Edwards’s nor Thomas’s campaigns have yet to respond to requests for comment on the results.

Alderman at Large Post 1 candidate Carol Bell waves to passing vehicles from the corner of Abercorn and DeRenne Avenue on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

Bell shot up to an initial lead as early voting results came in around 7:33 p.m. At that point she had secured 53.55% of the vote. She held on to her lead, procuring the more than 50% plus one needed to declare victory without need for a run-off.

Bell held her watch party at Pacci within the Kimpton Brice Hotel on Bay Street. When she fielded questions around 10:16 p.m. all but a few constituents and campaign workers remained.

Bell’s demeanor was calm and collected. She seemed reassured in her victory, which she called a “mandate from the City of Savannah.” She cited her previous experience on council and more than 30 years working in the city as evidence that she can “hit the ground running.”

She acknowledged that the forthcoming council is different than the one she left four years ago. “I am very impressed by the work that they’ve done. I would like to find out how I can be of service to them to work hand-in-hand with the District Aldermen.”

She plans to form a collective vision for the council, particularly through public-private partnerships. She said, “I think we would serve ourselves well if we partner with the private sector, and see if we can establish a pattern like some of the other cities have done. Atlanta’s done a fantastic job of partnering with the private sector and building housing units that are comprised of market-rate rentals as well as income-based rentals.” Housing, she indicated, would be a major priority for her.

She made sure to thank her constituents. “I could not have done this without the support of the community.”

She also took a moment to acknowledge her opponents in the race. “I have learned from them, to be quite honest with you,” she said. “And I would love to continue the conversation. There were some very interesting ideas brought forth during the campaign season. So, I would like to further those conversations.”

Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at jschwartzburt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Voters return Carol Bell to Savannah City Council At Large Post 1 seat