Isaiah Hugley is hitting the campaign trail with a series of meet and greets across town. The former city manager said there is one overriding theme emerging from his conversations with people in Columbus. “When I talk to people, they’re concerned about the chaos not just at the national level or state level but the chaos that they are witnessing right here in Columbus, Georgia,” Hugley said.
“And with that chaos the message that I send to them is that I want to unite this city. I will unite this city. I think I can because of the relationships I have built over the years and I share with them that hope is going to be our compass. Unity through reconciliation is our path but one Columbus is our purpose, and I intend to get us there. I want that to be my legacy that Isaiah Hugley became the 71st mayor of Columbus, GA and he was able to bring this city back together.”
In a controversial move, the city council voted to terminate Hugley as city manager in May of 2025 just six months prior to his scheduled retirement. If elected mayor Hugley could potentially be tasked with naming his own replacement as city manager. He said his hiring process would look different than that of current mayor Skip Henderson. “Well, I’m not clear on the mayor’s process regarding hiring a city manager but my process would perhaps be a little different,” Hugley said.
“I would have maybe an internal group and an external group of colleagues whom I know because I was city manager for 20 years and I would bring a team together and we would go through a vetting process, but I can tell you there are two great deputy city managers there at the city right now. They have delivered over the 15 or more years each one of them and I have no problem with a deputy city manager becoming the next city manager of Columbus because they’ve proven themselves but certainly my process would be different than the current mayor.”
The former city manager heads into qualifying week having already raised thousands more in campaign donations than his opponents. According to the most recent financial disclosures he has raised nearly $128K in donations. Hugley told Now Georgia that doesn’t necessarily make him the man to beat on election day. “I would not say that I am the frontrunner,” Hugley said.
“I think the campaign donations because I’ve outraised others tells us that the people are with the Hugley for Mayor campaign. It tells us it’s a people powered campaign and they want to see me become mayor because they believe the vision, the platform, the message that I’m putting out to them. They’ve watched me over 20 years deliver as city manager and they believe in the different capacity I will be able to deliver as mayor and so those campaign donations tell me that they support the campaign.”
Qualifying for local races on the ballot in Muscogee County begins Monday March 2nd, 2026. Election day is May 19th, 2026.
