Do You Know Your Commissioners?

7 Member City Commission

The City of Rome government functions with a commission-manager form of government initially adopted in 1918. The charter created a seven-member City Commission elected at large to concurrent terms by a plurality vote, with one Commissioner elected from each of the seven residency wards.

In 1966, the Georgia Legislature enacted legislation reducing the number of wards for the Rome City Commission from nine with one member each to three wards with three “numbered posts” in each. In 1983, the City proposed, and the Attorney General precleared, a change from concurrent to staggered terms for City Commission elections. These are conducted non-partisanly, with the top three vote-getters in each ward winning seats during the election years.

Ward One represents North Rome, while Ward Two includes downtown and South Rome. Ward Three represents West Rome. The rivers are major boundary lines for each of the three wards. Wards One and Three will be the focus of elections in November of this year.

Ward One is represented by Sundai Stevenson, Mark Cochran, and Jim Bojo. Ward Two commission members are Elaina Beeman, Randy Quick, and Jamie Doss. Bonny Askew, Bill Collins, and Craig McDaniel represent
Ward Three.

Bonny Askew

Ward Three, Term Expires December 2023

Bonny Askew is a graduate of West Rome and was appointed to fill a vacancy on the commission in the 1980s. He retired from International Paper and was returned to the commission in the 2019 election.

Elaina Beeman

Ward Two, Term Expires December 2025

Elaina Beeman is another Rome native, first elected to the city commission in 2021 after serving two terms on the Rome Board of Education. She is also a graduate of West Rome. She works for the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority, working closely with young students.

Jim Bojo

Ward One, Term Expires December 2023

Jim Bojo is a native of Ohio. His family moved to Rome in 1968, where he graduated from West Rome High in the Class of ’73. He worked for 21 years with Goodyear in Cartersville and served in marketing and advertising with local radio station WLAQ.

Bill Collins

Ward Three, Term Expires December 2023

Bill Collins has served on the commission since 1996. A native Roman, Collins is a West Rome High School graduate. He owns multiple businesses, perhaps most notably Collins Auto Clean. Other business interests include pressure washing and sealing.

Mark Cochran

Ward One, Term Expires December 2023

Mark Cochran also grew up in Rome, graduating from Pepperell High School. He owns an architectural firm and has done historic rehab work and special projects for local businesses and schools. Cochran currently serves as mayor pro tem.

Jamie Doss

Ward Two, Term Expires December 2025

Jamie Doss is the longest-serving member of the current commission, initially elected in 1994. He is a lifelong Roman, a graduate of Darlington School, and a financial advisor by profession. It is not unusual to see Jamie jogging the trails of Rome.

Craig McDaniel

Ward Three, Term Expires December 2023

Craig McDaniel is also a native Roman. He received his Bachelor of Science in business management from Carson-Newman College and his doctorate from the University of Georgia. Before taking a seat on the city commission, McDaniel served as President of what was then known as Coosa Valley Technical College, now Georgia Northwestern. In addition, he has become a successful local realtor.

Sundai Stevenson

Ward One, Term Expires December 2023

Sundai Stevenson is a graduate of Calhoun High School but has lived in Rome for more than 20 years. She is a Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Rome program graduate, a Rome-Floyd M.L. King Commission leader, active volunteer with One Community United, and a property manager. Her peers elected Stevenson to serve as mayor for 2023.

Randy Quick

Ward Two, Term Expires December 2025

Randy Quick is a native Roman. He is a graduate of Pepperell High School and in his second term on the commission. Virtually his entire professional career, almost 50 years, has been in local radio, where he is currently General Manager and a partner at Rome Radio Partners.

Much of Rome’s government work occurs through a committee system that includes nearly two dozen standing committees. Most committees include three members of the commission. However, some of the joint committees with members of the Floyd County Commission may consist of fewer city commissioners. In some cases, a committee may be comprised of citizens at large, with a commissioner serving as an adjunct member.

All the committee meetings are open to the public. The commission meets in Rome City Hall, 601 Broad Street, on the second and fourth Monday of each month with a caucus at 5 p.m., followed by the formal meeting at 6:30. All meetings are open to the public. However, anyone who wishes to address the commission is asked to register with the office of City Clerk Joe Smith before the meetings.