Although he invites visitors to “come enjoy the slow lane,” new mayor Edward Toledano is also looking to make advances as he takes over leadership in Maxeys.
“I’m a thought leader in that sense, and I want to bring progressive thinking and new ideas for our council and our community to get behind that brings benefits to everybody,” Toledano said.
He was sworn in as mayor of Maxeys, population 230, on Jan. 11 after running unopposed in the Nov. 5 election.
Co-owner of the Gillen House Bed and Breakfast, Toledano was on the Maxeys City Council for four years. He said this allowed him to learn that “a little town has to do everything a big town has to do.”
This includes reporting to the state, as well as following set rules and regulations.
“In a business, everybody has their role and they know what they’re gonna do,” Toledano said. “My goal here is to sort of streamline our operations so that I, as mayor, I’m not overwhelmed by doing everything.”
His plan is to add onto what’s already part of the city.
“It’s not so much growing Maxeys,” Toledano said. “But it’s sharpening the saw. We’ve already got a great saw, and we can sharpen things up a little bit.”
The ongoing construction of the Firefly Trail remains a top priority.
There are plans to keep working on the 40-mile bike trail starting in Athens and ending in Union Point. To prepare for the Firefly Ticket to Ride on March 22, there will be a “Coffee With The Council” community event on March 8 to clean up the trail and cut down trees.
Toledano also hopes to continue the Maxeys tradition from the Brightwell family, one of the founding families. The scholarship program has provided over $2 million for 218 students since it started in the late 1950s.
Toledano will be joined by Jenny Yearwood-Parker, the new city clerk.
“I’ve spent 31 years at the University of Georgia as the assistant to the associate dean of academic affairs in the school of forestry and natural resources, so I know a little bit about bookkeeping, and I know the different software that we use,” Yearwood said.
With hopes of making advances but keeping the small-town feel of Maxeys, Toledano and Yearwood hope to “get to where we need to be.”
“I’ve learned the guardrails by being a councilmember, and I think that I can bring some positive future thought,” he said.