Three qualify for Grovetown council

Three candidates have qualified to run in the special election to fill the seat of the late Grovetown City Councilwoman Marjorie Adams.

Leiland J. "Sonny" McDowell, Dick Manion and Barry Davis will face one another in a July 18 nonpartisan special election to fill the rest of Adams' term, which expires Dec. 31, 2007.

Adams, 79, died Feb. 12 from complications from a Dec. 8 stroke.

Adams was known as a mentor to children and a frequent visitor to wounded soldiers recuperating at the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Augusta.

The 14-year council veteran also organized and operated the Grovetown Against Drugs Free Summer Day Camp in 1995.

McDowell, 51, a jail and prison equipment contractor and vice president of Southern Detention Distributors Inc., said he has always been interested and involved in area government. Originally from Myrtle Beach, S.C., McDowell has lived in Grovetown with his wife for three years.

Growth, he said, is a major issue for the city.

"Grovetown is in a growth stage right now," McDowell said. "It's very fast-paced growth, and I think I have a very clear idea of what the vision of the mayor and city council is. I would like to continue that steady growth."

McDowell served on numerous boards in the Myrtle Beach area, and as president of the Martinez-Evans Rotary Club and chairman of the Augusta-area Rotary Council, according to a biography. He has three adult daughters and two grandchildren.

Manion, who turns 76 on Thursday, is a retired Army colonel who returned to Grovetown more than a year ago after four years living in Florida.

A former chairman of the Columbia County Republican Party, Manion has served on numerous boards and is a former Georgia state Senate candidate. Manion, who is married with eight children between him and his wife, has 21 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

"Columbia County is a fantastic place to live, and Grovetown is on the cutting edge of Columbia County progress,'' Manion said in a release. "I want to continue to serve the people and be part of the city's bright future."

Davis, 39, is a mortgage banker with Wachovia who has lived in Grovetown for 13 years. He is the father of three children: a son who attends Harlem High School and two daughters who go to Grovetown Elementary School.

"I have an investment in Grovetown; I've raised my children in Grovetown," Davis said.

A board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Augusta, Davis said he would like to bring a club to Grovetown.

Davis also is a member of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Columbia County Convention and Visitors Bureau. He also said growth is a major issue for the city.

"I want to help with the wastewater treatment situation in Grovetown," he said. "I want to bring more industry and homes to Grovetown."