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It’ll be a rematch from the past for the West Point mayor seat. 

Election qualifying ended in West Point Wednesday and Councilmember DeeDee Williams and Incumbent Mayor Steve Tramell are the two qualifiers in mayor election. Election day is Nov. 7.

Williams last ran for mayor against Tramell in 2017 and lost by 25 votes. In 2013, she lost by 26 votes against then Mayor Drew Ferguson, who is now a U.S. congressman. 

In 2019, Williams was elected to serve on the city council. She said she is again ready to run for mayor with the insights she gained over the past four years.

“It’s a different city now than it was four years ago,” Williams said. 

In her time on the city council, Williams said she has learned a lot about the way the city operates and hopes to use that knowledge to help citizens be more involved in developments.

Williams said she hopes to encourage citizens to get registered to vote and participate in elections so their voices are heard. The last few Troup County elections have had low voter turnout.

“If you can’t get people to exercise their right to vote, you can’t feel assured that you get input from an adequate number of people,” Williams said. “A small sliver of the electorate is voicing their opinion.”

Tramell, who was elected in 2017 after serving as mayor pro-tem for a year and a half, said he is excited about the development of the automotive industry and hopes to continue working on projects like Kia’s EV9 expansion for the city. 

“I look forward to talking with the citizens of West Point, share with them my vision for the city and hope they appreciate my service that I’ve given so far,” Tramell said. “And I plan on doing more of the same.”

Williams shared a similar sentiment about the growth of the automobile industry in the area.

“I think we’re in a very good position with the automotive industry being established in this area,” Williams said. “We’ve pulled ourselves out of a very, very dark period when the primary industry of over 100 years went offshore.”

West Point’s housing development has been a focus for Tramell. He hopes to see that continue to flourish. 

The West Point City Council had six qualifiers incumbents Gerald Ledbetter and Sandra Thornton, Andra Haynes, Aaron Lewis II, Sean Erique Moore and Kevin Patrick. The three candidates with the most votes will be elected to the council.