TIFTON — City council members bid a fond farewell to vice mayor Jack Folk as he prepared to retire for the second time in his life–this time, from his position on the council.

During his final meeting on the board Dec. 19, Folk was given a heartfelt sendoff from his fellow council members, city staff, and the community he had served for eight years.

The vice mayor had announced he was not planning on running for re-election to his position as District 2 representative in July, believing it was time for him to step away from the table and move on to something new.

By the time of the final meeting of the year, his fellow council members were sad to see him go, but wished him the best in the next chapter of his life.

Mayor Julie Smith, offering a proclamation during the meeting to honor Folk’s service, thanked the retiring vice mayor for all he had done for the city, including his focus on enhancing the city’s financial stability and safety and reducing debt, and expressed her admiration for his efforts to ensure the council always fully considered every item that came before them.

“No matter how we ended up voting, no matter what we ended up doing at the end of the day, you challenged us to think outside the box,” Smith said. “I thank you for that, and appreciate you for that.”

Each council member, as well as the city staff that had worked with Folk shared their own words of gratitude and farewell, feeling honored to have served Tifton alongside him, recalling fond memories of the experiences they’d gone through together, and wishing him the best moving forward.

Finally, Folk himself was given the chance to speak, thanking his colleagues for their kind words and best wishes. He stated how proud he was to leave the city in the state it was in, boasting that it was in the best financial shape it had been in years and feeling confident it would remain in good hands.

The vice mayor was presented with a shadow box compiling his history with the city council through photos, mementos, and a miniature golf cart, a small gift from the city, and a round of applause and a “Go Tigers” from councilman Josh Reynolds as a last sendoff and thanks for all of his hard work.

Folk’s position as District 2 representative is expected to be filled Jan 1, 2024 by Michael Franks, who was elected to the position at the conclusion of the Nov. 7 election.