Tifton City Council member Julie B. Smith is announcing her candidacy for Tifton mayor. 

Smith is completing her first four-year council term representing District 4. She is a partner in a local real estate business. She says she has extensive experience in working with city and county officials to help improve the tax base, in collaborating with all local governmental entities, in creating job growth and in working to improve local quality of life.

"My campaign is not about the Tifton we have today; it is about working together to create the Tifton we want in the future," Smith says. "It is about realizing it truly takes all areas of our government and community members striving to cultivate the environment needed for sustainable, planned growth to take place. i'm willing to work hard to make that happen."

While noting that the office of mayor represents the city, Smith adds that proactively engaging with county agencies is important "as we are all in the process of growth together."

She says her real estate background gives her a clear understanding of how honest negotiations, mediation, treating people fairly,and listening to all parties involved are key elements to reaching a common goal.  As a former executive director of the Tifton-Tift County Main Street Program, Smith says she gained real-world knowledge about economic development.

"I will be an advocate for all of Tifton," she says. "I expect people to ask me hard questions during the campaign, and, if elected ... I pledge that from day one, I will answer honestly.  I want people to be involved; I want input and different viewpoints. Transparency and accountability will be the cornerstones of my campaign and my term as mayor."

While qualifying to run for the mayor's office is not until August, Smith says she wants to announce her candidacy to give people plenty of time to talk with her. "The campaign season will basically be during September and October, which is a fairly short time frame," she says. "By announcing now, there is time for me to gather input and answer questions from anyone who wants to be involved."

Smith and her husband Doug have a combined family of five adult children and three dogs. The Smiths attend First Presbyterian Church in Tifton, where she serves as an elder. She volunteers with several community organizations, including Tourism Outreach and Marketing Group, Tift County Animal Shelter /Save our Pets, Tiftarea Board of Realtors, Hands on Tifton and Friends of the Georgia Museum of Agriculture.