Mayor Reynolds endorses Graham as council candidate

By Jimmy LaRoue

Published: April 25, 2008

Outgoing Mayor Tom Reynolds announced Friday that he is endorsing Chris Graham to replace him as the Ward B representative on the Waynesboro City Council.
Graham is vying with Greg Bruno and Bruce Allen for the seat.
The two made the announcement outside the Charles T. Yancey Municipal Building in downtown Waynesboro.
“Looking at the three candidates, Chris, like the cream, rose to the top,” Reynolds said. “And I believe that Chris brings to the table the same energy, and enthusiasm and willingness to work with City Council in the vision for the future of Waynesboro, and optimism, and looking forward.”
Reynolds said Graham was the only one who approached him for his endorsement, but said he weighed the views of the other two candidates before announcing his decision. He called Graham “an honest person with integrity,”
“It became clearer and clearer to me that Chris was the right man to pass the mantle of leadership,” Reynolds said.
Graham said it meant a lot to him to receive the mayor’s endorsement, that Reynolds’ voice “carries a lot in Waynesboro.” He said Reynolds has been an independent voice on the council for the past eight years, and said that’s what he would try to be.
“He’s someone that, despite the current way that we look at things, that we talk about majorities and minorities, he’s someone who’s been able to work with both sides,” Graham said. The two, Graham said, “share a vision” but they “don’t necessarily agree on every single step that we need to get there.”
Reynolds said that Graham wouldn’t “get all bogged down in all the day-to-day operations of the city, because that’s not City Council’s job. City Council is the body that’s supposed to come together, and through ordinance and resolution, provide some direction for the city, provide a vision for the city.”
It’s the role of the city manager, he said, to manage the city.
Graham was flanked by a small group of supporters during the announcement, including Vice Mayor Nancy Dowdy.