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Article: State trooper Willie Burns elected first Black mayor of historic Georgia town.(Newsmakers)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Jet
- Article date:
- March 8, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Johnson Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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When he was elected mayor of Washington, GA, last November, state trooper Willie E. Burns became a legend in Black history.
For weeks between his election and his inauguration as mayor in the predominantly Black town in highly desirable central Georgia, he dominated the pages of the local News Reporter newspaper.
The Nov. 6 front page bannered "Burns Elected Mayor in Historic Vote" to spotlight the fact he is the first Black mayor in the history of the city, which was chartered in 1780, and is believed to be the first town named for the nation's first president George Washington.
The 49-year-old law-and-order advocate won with 772 votes over an ...