Seabolt: McCaysville mayor steps down as fourth term begins
“The vision and the heart he has for McCaysville has always been prevalent...To see his passion and his vision come through has been an honor,” Cortney Stuart said during a reception honoring Mayor Thomas Seabolt.
Those were among comments Stuart made as she joined others to say thanks and wish Seabolt well as he steps down from the position he has held since 2012.
Many people obviously worked to keep their emotions in check Tuesday night, April 9, as Seabolt presided over his last city council meeting as mayor, which was followed by a reception in his honor at Tooneys.
Word had spread earlier that the regular April meeting of the McCaysville City Council would be Seabolt’s last.
At the end, Seabolt, holding back emotion, told those gathered in City Hall, “I’m resigning as of tonight.”
Looking back on his more than 12 years as mayor, Seabolt said, with a laugh letting his ever present sense of humor shine through, “I’ve enjoyed most of it.”
But at 86 years old, “It’s time for me to step down,” he said, referring to health issues that have left him unable to drive.
Seabolt expressed his appreciation to his fellow council members and all the McCaysville employees he has worked with over the years.
His words of appreciation were returned during the following reception.
Stuart, in her remarks, thanked Seabolt for “giving me a chance” when she was a very young lawyer.
McCaysville Public Safety Director Michael Earley began the reception by recounting some of Seabolt’s “tremendous accomplishments” as mayor.
With Seabolt at the helm, working side-by-side with other elected officials and employees, the water plant was upgraded, the Toccoa River Park project was completed, streets were paved, walls were built to protect streets and property alike, and a new city maintenance shop was constructed. Most recently the steel bridge over the Toccoa River was refurbished.
Earley also pointed to the work Seabolt led to increase employee pay and benefits, and expressed the thanks of the employees for those efforts.
Perhaps just as important, Earley told how he and Seabolt, “Solved the world’s problems at Hardee’s every morning.”
Nancy Godfrey, who began working for the city in 2001, said, “Thomas never lost sight of the things he wanted to do for our town.”
She told of his dedication to his job and his “always available” approach for every citizen.
Speaking for all the employees, Godfrey said, “We wish you all the best.”
Seabolt said of Godfrey when he closed the city council meeting, “She’s perfect.”
Seabolt was first elected mayor in 2011, and took office January 1 of the following year. He was re-elected in 2015, 2019 and most recently in 2023 to begin a four-year term January 1, 2024.
Stuart has been the city attorney for most of those years, and looking back on those years summed up Seabolt as her grandfather would have, “He’s a dandy.”