In winning a second term Tuesday, John Fretti fully comes into his own as Valdosta’s mayor. While he has served honorably for the past four years, Tuesday’s victory removes a shadow that has silently hung over Fretti’s first term.
Four years ago, John Fretti entered the mayoral race along with candidate Benny Mitcham as challengers to Mayor James H. Rainwater’s re-election bid. Having been in office from 1988 to 2003, Jimmy Rainwater had consolidated considerable power as Valdosta’s mayor. As a past editorial in The Valdosta Daily Times noted, Jimmy Rainwater as mayor had become “Valdosta’s voice, the city’s representative, its administrator, ambassador, negotiator, cheerleader, and leader.”
Still, as the city elections approached in 2003, John Fretti was viewed as a serious challenger to another Rainwater term. Some believed Fretti had real potential to end Rainwater’s push for 20 years as Valdosta’s mayor.
Could Fretti have defeated Rainwater?
We will never know for certain. A few weeks before the 2003 election, Mayor James H. Rainwater died.
Following Rainwater’s death, City Councilman David Sumner became interim Valdosta mayor. There was an unsuccessful push to allow additional candidates to register for the mayor’s race in the vacuum left by Rainwater’s passing.
In the end, Fretti handily won the election against Benny Mitcham, but the shadow of the failed attempt to register additional candidates caused instant divides on the Valdosta City Council, and the lingering shadow of Rainwater’s legacy made it difficult for Fretti as mayor to mend those divides.
Meanwhile, John Fretti grew into the role of mayor. He became an ambassador and a leader. He has made himself accessible to the public. He has worked hard to make Valdosta a destination for tourists and for industry.
In winning his re-election bid against a formidable challenger in former State Rep. Ron Borders, Fretti has earned the political clout to mend rifts and consolidate power on City Council.
We hope Fretti uses this power wisely. With his victory Tuesday night, there can be no more doubts or speculation. John Fretti is Valdosta’s mayor.
