Monday, January 12, 2026–7:55 p.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
Rome has a new mayor.
The Rome City Commission held its first meeting of 2026 on Monday, and the first order of business was to elect a new mayor.
The nod went to Jim Bojo.
“I want to thank each and every one of you for your support,” Bojo said. “We’ve had fun times over the past few years, and I hope we have more fun times ahead. I want to let all of the commissioners know that I’m just a phone call away, for every one of you. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’ll get there.”
Bojo won with five votes. They were Craig McDaniel, Harry Brock, Wayne Robinson, Jill Fisher, and Bojo himself.
Elaina Beeman, Vic Hixon, Bill Collins, and March Cochran all cast their votes for Cochran for mayor.
Wayne Robinson was elected to serve as mayor pro tem.
He defeated Elaina Beeman by a 5-4 vote.
Sammy Rich was re-appointed as city manager.
The commission also approved the following appointments made by the city manager:
Officials and Authorized Agents
1. City Commission Clerk & Secretary Joe Smith
2. Assistant City Clerk & Secretary Mark Green
3. City Attorney J. Anderson Davis
4. Assistant City Attorney Frank Beacham
Sam Lucas
Lee Carter
5. Municipal Court Judge Chris Jackson
6. Assistant Municipal Court Judge John Scott Husser
7. City Physician Atrium Health Floyd Employer Clinic
8. Official Publication Organ Rome News-Tribune
9. Depositories & Investment Institutions:
i. Bank OZK
ii. Synovus
iii. First National Community Bank
iv. Regions Bank
v. River City Bank
vi. Truist Bank
vii. United Community Bank
viii. Wells Fargo
ix. Local Government Investment Pool – State of Georgia
x. East West Bank
10. Auditor
Management Staff
1. Assistant City Manager Meredith Ulmer
2. Director of Strategic Initiatives Kelley Ledford
3. Water & Sewer Division Director John Boyd
4. Finance Division Director Toni Rhinehart
5. Public Works Division Director Chris Jenkins
Department Directors
1. Fire Chief – Troy Brock
2. Police Chief – Denise Downer-McKinney
3. Human Resources Director – Kristy Shepard
4. Community Development Director – Bekki Fox
5. City Clerk – Joe Smith
6. Solid Waste & Landfill Director – Tim Garrett
7. Purchasing Director – Becky Smyth
8. Building Official – James Martin
9. Cemetery Superintendent – Vacant
10. Street Department Director – Chad Hampton
11. Transit Director – Courtnay Griffin
12. City Engineer/Engineering Services Director– Aaron Carroll
13. City Arborist – Ernest Watson
14. Water Treatment Facility Director – Wayne Stanley
15. Water Reclamation Facility Director – Jeff Hill
16. Water Billing Director – Bryan Parris
17. Water/Sewer Operations Director – Bryan Middleton
18. Office of Technology Services Director – Johnny Bunch
19. Rome/Floyd County Planning Director – Brice Wood
20. Rome/Floyd E.C.O. Center / Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful Coordinator– Hannah Bagley
21. Rome/Floyd E.C.O. Center Director – Ben Winkelman
22. Downtown Development Director – Suzanne Roberts
Other Staff & Operators
Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director – Lisa Smith
Rome Tennis Center/Downtown Tennis Center – Cliff Drysdale Tennis
Stonebridge Golf Course – Troon/Indigo Sports
Also Monday, the commission placed new convenience store and gas station regulations onto first reading.
A second reading, public hearing, and vote are expected during the commission’s next meeting on January
