Matt Donaldson, Mayor
Jule Bady,. Jr., Mayor Pro Tem
Jesse Brown, Commissioner
Kenton Landon, Commissioner
Charles Moody, Commissioner
City Government
A Mayor and four commissioners provide the elected leadership of Twin City. Two commissioners are chosen from each ward, and the mayor is elected at large. The dividing line for Wards 1 and 2, from which the Commissioners are elected, is GA 23 or Railroad Avenue. The line begins as Railroad Avenue N. at the northern city limit (original Summit section), extends through town as Railroad Avenue S., and then continues south (through the original Graymont area) as Elm and Durden Streets.
Commission meetings are held the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 unless otherwise announced. A workshop at 6:30 may precede the meeting. Citizens who wish to express a concern at the meeting are required to submit a request to be added to the agenda by the Wednesday preceding the scheduled meeting. Special called meetings are announced in the newspaper, online at EmanuelCountyLive.com, and by postings at City Hall.
Twin City is an open records community. Requests to see records may be made at City Hall; commission meeting minutes are published in the Forest-Blade.
Mayor
Matt Donaldson was born and raised in
Twin City; his roots here go deep. Matt is the 4th generation to
live and/or own a business in Twin City, specifically in old Summit. Matt was
sworn in as a City Commissioner on January 6, 2016 and was sworn in as Mayor on
January 7, 2020.
Matt graduated from Emanuel County Institute in 2008, graduated from Cum Laude from East Georgia State College with an Associate’s degree in Business Administration, and is a 2013 graduate of Georgia Southern University with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance. In 2016, he graduated from the Georgia Banking School at University of Georgia, Leadership Emanuel, and the Georgia Academy for Economic Development. In 2019, Matt completed his studies at the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Mayor Donaldson is actively involved in the Georgia Municipal
Association. He currently serves on the Legislative Policy Council and Federal
Policy Council. He has served as the 9th District President and served on the GMA Board of Directors. In 2019, Matt was chosen by the Georgia Municipal Association for the “20 under 40” inaugural cohort. Matt also served as the 9th District Representative on the Municipal Training Board from 2017-2021, which is a cooperative effort of the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government and the Georgia Municipal Association. The Municipal Training Board oversees the training program for the municipal elected officials of Georgia. Mayor Donaldson served as Chairman of the Board from 2019-2020.
Mayor Donaldson also serves on the Heart of Georgia Altamaha
Regional Commission as the Emanuel County Municipal Representative and serves
as a Board Member of the Development Authority of Twin City.
As of 2021, Matt has completed over 180 hours of training from
the Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Institute. He has been awarded the
Certificate of Recognition, Certificate of Achievement, and most recently the
Certificate of Excellence. Also, in 2018, he graduated from the Robert E. Knox
Municipal Leadership Institute.
Matt loves banking and started his career at Durden Banking
Company when he was a junior at Emanuel County Institute in 2006. He serves as Vice
President at Durden Banking Company here in Twin City.
Commissioners
Jesse Brown was born in Swainsboro and has always been in Emanuel County. He was raised in Twin City in his family home place on E. Broad Street where he has lived all his life. Jesse began working in cotton fields when he was fifteen, and now works in Bulloch County for the Board of Education. He likes to fish.
Jesse has been a commissioner since January of 2012.
Jule Bady was born in Midville, GA, raised in Garfield, went to elementary school in Summertown, and attended Swainsboro High School. He left high school after the tenth grade to help his parents provide for his family. Jule’s first job was with Swainsboro Print Works, a company that dyed and printed fabric. In 2005 Jule earned his CDL and started his own trucking business, Bady’s Trucking, LLC.
Mr. Bady is a community minded man with a heart for revitalizing Twin City’s residential neighborhoods. In 2014 Jule recruited several other citizens and initiated the founding of the Graymont Community Park Association. Through fundraising, matching funds from the city, a grant from Mill Creek Foundation, and a good deal of his own and other’s sweat equity, the park acquired new equipment, a new look, and new life. It’s now a favorite gathering and play place for Twin City families and children.
Jule is married to Shelonda, a wonderful woman who is a great homemaker, cook, and caregiver. Faith and family are important to Mr. Bady. He is a life-long member of Mt. Zion Church in Garfield, GA, where he still worships and serves.
Jule has served on the City Commission since January 2018.
Kenton Landon, Commissioner
Charles Moody, Commissioner