7-minute City Candidate Election Challenge Successful: candidate’s name may not appear on ballot after residency challenge*

By Carol A. Gasser Moore |

LAKELAND, Lanier County, Ga. — A called meeting of the Lanier County Board of Elections, which supports City of Lakeland elections, was held at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2.  It lasted just seven minutes, but ended with council member Greg “Duner” Sealey Jr. being voted off the ballot after resident Mary Sirmons challenged his eligibility to seek a city post on residency grounds.

“I have nothing personal against him as he has done a lot for Lakeland, but I believe everyone should follow the law,” said Mary Sirmons.

Sirmons told the council that Sealey resides in unincorporated Naylor, not within Lakeland city limits, and therefore does not meet the city’s residency requirement. She presented photographic evidence.  “Mr. Sealey could not be living in Lakeland at his mother’s home when Sealey describes in his Facebook post riding out the Hurricane Helene storm in his Naylor home.”

To further support her claim, Sirmons referenced Sealey’s own public Facebook description of the storm’s impact as well as photos.  Quoting Sealey’s own Facebook post, “Could you imagine running from room to room as the trees fall every 3 min., and the ceiling literally falling on everyone. And doing all this while Kendra is 9 months pregnant.” 

Sealey did not attend the meeting. According to city staff, a driver’s license listing his mother’s Lakeland address was dropped off on his behalf. Officials also noted Sealey has not changed his address since he was 18.

After brief discussion, the council voted to remove Sealey from the ballot. Under the action taken Tuesday, unless the city has already started printing ballots, Sealey’s name will not be listed as a candidate. If printing has already begun, his name will still appear, but any votes cast for him will not count—and it will be published that he is unelectable, as Lanier County News understands the process.

Sealey has 10 days from Tuesday, September 2, to appeal the Lakeland Election Board’s decision.  As the Lanier County News understands it, Councilman Sealey would have to file before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 12.

Also noted in the meeting was Sealey’s frequent absences from regular council meetings. The City of Lakeland has an ordinance that could allow a council member’s removal for excessive absences; however, to date Mayor Darsey and the council have not invoked that provision.

Editor’s note: This report reflects statements and materials presented at the Sept. 2 meeting and comments made by residents and officials in attendance. Attempts to reach Sealey for additional comment were not immediately successful.

Councilman Greg Sealey’s assigned

council seat is the empty seat on the far left.

*NOTE:  The LCN publishes at 1:00 a.m. on Thursday mornings.  This story originally identified the Lakeland City Council as the board that heard the challenge.  This was the publisher’s assumption of fact since the City of Lakeland handles its own city elections.  About 12 hours after the story first published, the board which heard the election challenge was corrected to the Lanier County Election Board.  Mayor Bill Darsey called the LCN about the original reporting and confirmed today when we spoke that the City of Lakeland pays for the services of the Lanier County Election Board.  The corrected story was published about noon on Thursday, September 4.  Also corrected was the spelling of Mary Sirmons name.  The Lanier County News apologizes for any inconvenience.