New Chairman promises change in Cordele

Joshua Deriso who beat incumbent Cordele City Chairman John Wiggins says change is on the horizon.

CORDELE, GA – Joshua Deriso, who beat incumbent Cordele City Chairman John Wiggins in the November 2021 run-off election, says change is coming when he’s sworn into office on January 4th.

The Chairman-elect says during his tenure, he wants to implement programs to help seniors and youth.

“I think the city can do something to sponsor and work with more drug stores to coordinate senior citizens to actually have their drugs delivered,” says Joshua Deriso, Chairman-elect.

He also wants to create a committee to study whether the Confederate Statue that sits on 7th Ave can be brought down.

“Simply, the people that don’t look like me wrote a long time ago that majority rules. The majority of the people voted for me city wide and they voted for me for one reason, for saying that the statue should come down,” says Deriso.

Aside from the statue, Deriso says residents can expect to see changes in city leadership, but what that all entails, is still up in the air.

But according to local sources who are not at liberty to discuss publicly, there are talks about ousting current sitting City Manager Roland McCarthy and replacing him with a woman by the name of Angela Redding, who according to sources has a checkered employment history with other municipalities.

The incoming chairman says Redding is qualified for the job.

“I think if we can hire her with the guidance of the commission,I think she will be one of the best choices that we can make in the next four years.”

Deriso will be sworn in January 4, 2022 at Cordele City Hall.