BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (WCTV) - The City of Bainbridge swore in its new mayor Tuesday night.

Sylvia Washington is the first African American woman to become mayor in Bainbridge.

People packed the room to see her being sworn in.

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In 2019, Washington also made history when she became the first African American woman to serve as a city council member.

She says she is overjoyed and humbled to be elected as mayor and is looking forward to serving Bainbridge, with one of her priorities being the budget.

“I would like to look more closely at the budget to see if maybe there are some line items that we can kind of switch around to see where actually our funding is. Sometimes we overlook things, so that will be my first short term, is to just really look at that budget to see where our money is,” Washington said.

Mayor Washington’s goals include looking for industries to come to Bainbridge, more recreational activities for youth and seniors, looking into homelessness issues and more affordable housing.

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