Tybee Island mayor proposes referendum on changing city council election system

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) - Tybee Island’s mayor wants to work with state lawmakers, to allow residents to vote on whether to change how city council members are elected.

Currently, the top three vote-getters win seats on the city council. Under a proposal from Mayor Brian West, each council seat would be designated as a specific position, and voters would choose one candidate per seat.

West said the current system does not always produce majority winners, which he cited as the reasoning behind the proposal.

“We would make each person’s seat a position, and when you go to vote, you would vote for whoever’s running for that seat,” West said.

A resolution set to be read Thursday asks state lawmakers to allow Tybee Island to hold a referendum, which would give residents the final say on whether to change the election system.

Some residents say they oppose the proposal. Tybee Island resident Pat Leiby said she did not expect the issue to resurface after last year’s public information sessions.

“So many people were against it. I didn’t think it would ever be coming back to us,” Leiby said.

Leiby said she is concerned the change could limit her voice in local elections.

“We want to vote the way we do now with a plurality, and I can have my choice to vote for any one of all of the candidates that are running. And with a new system, I could possibly lose some votes,” Leiby said.

West said the residents’ concerns are part of why he wants voters to make the final decision.

“It’s just going to depend upon how the people of Tybee feel like they want to do it from here out,” West said.

West said he hopes to place the referendum on the ballot this November.