Brian Lee secured the leadership of Jackson County after winning the mayoral election with 74.3 percent of the vote.
Lee said his professional background in the local school system and county government served as the foundation for his campaign. Lee said the electorate expressed a desire for a hard-working leader who could provide a positive direction for the community.
“Well, I’m still in probably a state of shock right now, but it feels good,” Lee said. “And you know, I’d just like to offer my congratulations to Mayor Morgan and Ms. Aurora as well, they run a clean race.”
Lee said the county has navigated a difficult period following the death of former Mayor Randy Heady. Lee said Heady was responsible for elevating the county through a specific vision for tourism that earned Jackson County a strong reputation.
“Absolutely, you know Mayor Heady really took the county from his vision for tourism of the county and things that he took it to the next level,” Lee said. “And he, you know, worked hard, anywhere you went you heard great things about Jackson County. And he was kind of at the forefront of that pushing that from behind and then after his unfortunate passing, you know the Commission Chairman at the time Joey Denson had to step in until we could come together and have a meeting. And so you know both of those Chairman Denson and Mayor Morgan had to step in and you said it perfectly, firehose. So many things that were happening that you know they just weren’t privy to and so it’s kind of stepping in to an ocean and all you’ve got’s a life vest.”
Lee said his transition into the office will begin with a series of meetings involving various county leaders. Lee said he plans to coordinate with department heads, elected officials, and local business owners to establish a unified vision for growth.
“I think my first step, I want to have some meetings with our department heads, our other elected officials and make sure you know that we’re all on the same page and we all have the same vision for moving Jackson County forward,” Lee said. “I also would like to meet with all of our business owners and see what I can do for them to help them continue to grow their businesses and you know that’s some of the first steps that I would be needing to take.”
