Braselton Mayor Bill Orr announced Monday he doesn’t plan to run for a fourth term.
Orr, who was first elected in 2009 with 72% of the vote, wrote in a Facebook post that he plans to step down at the end of the year.
“I have been honored to be your mayor,” he wrote. “We have grown a lot as a town and we have come together as a community through reinvigorating our downtown with investment, championing the new hospital and fighting this new virus.”
Orr himself was diagnosed with COVID-19 last year. In another Facebook post, last month, he urged constituents to be cautious of the coronavirus pandemic. Orr described his own experience with the disease, saying he had a fever that reached more than 104 degrees and doctors found blood clots in his lungs. He lost his sense of taste.
“Please take this threat seriously as you travel and entertain over the holidays!” Orr wrote in December. “It is real and while many have mild reactions there are just as many that experience what I experienced and many much worse.”
In the most recent post, Orr listed a number of accomplishments, including the start of a trail system to connect the city. He said he made the decision to step down to focus more on his business and because three terms seemed like enough.
“(N)ew leadership has proven good for most communities bringing new ideas...” he wrote. “I wanted there to be sufficient time to consider who our town’s next leader will be.”
Orr called leading Braselton “a true honor” and he still plans to be involved in the city, “but not be your Mayoral leader into the next phase.”
About the Author
