Hinesville Mayor Allen Brown has officially entered the race for what will be his fourth term as the city’s chief executive officer. Brown served two terms as Hinesville mayor from 1992 to 2000.

Hinesville mayors are limited to two consecutive terms; Tom Ratcliffe and James Thomas Jr. served terms as mayor until 2015 when Brown was elected to a third term.

“I take this opportunity to announce my candidacy for mayor and I look forward to the continued opportunity to serve.” Brown said Monday, “The current situation compels me to want to run again.”

He described that situation by saying, “The city is in excellent financial condition; we have been able to lower our millage rate and increase our reserves.”

Hinesville has two promising activities for young people, Brown said: the summer youth employment program and the city’s plan for youth councils which has been adopted and will begin to meet in September.

“We have had unprecedented residential and commercial growth with more than 450 business licenses issued in the last three and a half years,” Brown said. “We did our part to get the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax passed,” he said, adding that Hinesville sales tax revenue had increased 20 percent.

“In a way we have been the victims of our success,” Brown said, commenting on Hinesville’s serious traffic issues. He said the freight connector and the work on South Main Street would help with traffic congestion.

“I enjoy being the mayor and I believe I have the ability to help the city continue to prosper,” Brown said.

Some say local government is in Allen Brown’s blood: his father, James Brown, was mayor of Hinesville from 1980 to 1984 and the two mayors Brown are direct descendants of Alfred Iverson Hendry, the first mayor of Hinesville. Hendry was a physician who was elected mayor in 1894.

Brown is the longtime chairman of the Liberty County Development Authority and was just elected to chair the council of the Coastal Regional Commission. The CRC provides planning and development services to 10 area counties.

Hinesville residents have until Oct. 7 to register to vote in the city’s general election to be held on Nov. 5.  Advance in-person voting will begin Oct. 14, according to the Secretary of State website.

Parker can be contacted by email at joeparkerjr@hotmail.com.