Great-grandmother wins town council bid

CLERMONT, Ga. -- An 82-year-old grandmother and great grandmother of 18 won her first-ever bid for public office Tuesday.

Mary Ellen Rogers won a seat on the Town Council of Clermont, in north Hall County.

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"I won!" she exclaimed when our sister station WXIA 11Alive News called her. "And I even got the most votes," which is significant because the top two vote-getters will take the two open seats on the Council.

According to John Brady of the Clermont clerk's office, Mary Ellen Rogers received 69 votes. The incumbent, James "Sonny" Helton, will keep a seat, with 58 votes, and Lynn Adams was a close third with 52 votes.

Rogers is a life-long resident of Clermont who has never moved away from the farm house where she was born. A busy two-lane highway passes in front of her home, a highway that was once a quiet dirt road with barely any traffic. New subdivisions are popping up all around town.

Rogers said she ran for office to be a voice for preserving the history and character of Clermont while opening the town to additional tax revenues from new residents and businesses.