Carla D. Coley sworn in as Cochran's first female mayor as council emphasizes collaboration

COCHRAN, Ga. — Carla D. Coley was sworn in as mayor at the Cochran City Council's Jan. 13 meeting, the minutes record. Council members and the new mayor marked several historic milestones, including the first time three women are serving concurrently on the council.

The interim city clerk administered the oath and the gavel was passed to Mayor Coley, who joined councilmembers in recognizing the milestone as the new term began. Council members offered congratulatory remarks and emphasized collaboration and fiscal responsibility as priorities.

Mayor Coley later cast a tie-breaking vote on a CDBG application to pursue sewer infrastructure, an action recorded in the meeting minutes as pivotal to the council's grant-priority decisions that evening.

The council also used the meeting to appoint Councilman Shane Savant as Mayor Pro Tem for 2026 and to lay out a schedule for upcoming committee and ethics-board appointments. Several council members requested earlier distribution of meeting packets to improve preparation for future meetings.

The meeting adjourned after a full agenda of administrative and finance items; several approved items require staff follow-up.