Darion Ward took Council Post 1 on Oct. 13 and serves through 2027. The former Planning Commission member voted yes on every item at his first regular meeting Oct. 26.

Darion Ward is Lawrenceville’s newest City Council member. Mayor David Still swore him in Tuesday in the Council Chambers at City Hall, the city said in its announcement.

Ward fills Council Post 1. The seat had been empty since council member Bruce Johnson resigned Sept. 2. Ward will serve the rest of the term, which runs through Dec. 31, 2027, according to the city’s election notice.

His aunt, Minister Ann Maxey Vines, held the Bible. Ward’s term started at the council’s 5:30 p.m. work session the same day.

“I am deeply grateful to my family, friends, and the Lawrenceville community for their support,” Ward said in the city’s announcement.

No election needed

The city had called a special election for Post 1 on the Nov. 3 ballot. Ward was the only candidate to qualify, and no write-in candidate filed by the deadline. The Municipal Election Superintendent certified him as elected under Georgia law, so the city canceled the special election, its Oct. 7 notice said.

That means there is no city race on Lawrenceville ballots this fall. State and federal races on Nov. 3 go ahead as planned. Our voting guide has the advance voting dates and sites.

Who Darion Ward is

According to the city:

  • He is a lifelong Lawrenceville resident.
  • He graduated from Central Gwinnett High School.
  • He is a licensed State Farm insurance agent.
  • He served on the Lawrenceville Planning Commission before his election. The commission reviews zoning and development rules and makes recommendations to the council.
  • He is the grandson of Rubye Neal, a historian of Lawrenceville’s African American history.
Darion Ward, center, stands with four other city officials in front of the Lawrenceville city seal in the Council Chambers.
Darion Ward, center, with city officials after his swearing-in at City Hall. Photo: City of Lawrenceville.

The council now

With Post 1 filled, the five-member governing body is back at full strength, according to the city’s Mayor and City Council page:

Office Name Term
Mayor David Still through 2027
Post 1 Darion Ward through 2027
Post 2 Victoria Jones through 2027
Post 3, mayor pro tem Randy Travis through 2029
Post 4 Bryant Harris through 2029

Ward’s first work session agenda on Tuesday was a long one. The agenda included:

  • Parkland Homebuilders’ request to rezone 2555 University Parkway and 104 Hurricane Shoals Road for townhomes, next to the Costco site (our story on the plan)
  • special use permits for 401 Industrial Park Drive, 272 Hurricane Shoals Road and 425 West Pike Street
  • a resolution to dissolve the Financial Review Citizen Committee
  • buying property at 409 Simmons St.
  • a Police Department presentation on Axon
  • a public art project, a “DTL” letter installation downtown

Work sessions are for discussion. The council votes at its regular meetings.

What it means for you

  • Residents have a full council again. “All Council Members are elected at-large,” the city’s council page says, so Ward represents every Lawrenceville resident, not one district.
  • Ward’s first regular meeting was Oct. 26, where he voted yes on every item (what the council approved). The next regular meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at City Hall, 70 S. Clayton St. Agendas go up on the city’s Municode Meetings page before the meeting.
  • To contact the council, use the details on our who to call at City Hall page, or call City Hall at 770-963-2414.
  • Ward’s term ends Dec. 31, 2027, the same year as the terms of the mayor and the Post 2 seat. Council members are elected to four-year terms.