Judy Meeks unseated LaFayette Ward 3 councilman Bryan Hall Jackson and Melvin Bridges retained his Ward 4 seat in Tuesday’s elections.

Meeks defeated Jackson, 254-189, and Bridges stopped challenger Patrick Stanfield, 229-215.

Wayne Swanson, a council member for the past six years, ran unopposed for an at-large bid.

Out of 3,621 registered LaFayette voters, 451, or 12.4 percent, cast ballots Tuesday.

Meeks, 55, is a lab manager at Mount Vernon Mills, where she began working in 1967 in neighboring Chattooga County.

Meeks said one of her primary goals is to provide better equipment for the city fire and police departments. She said she would also seek first-responder training for the city’s emergency crews.

Meeks earned certificates from Berry College and Shorter College for business management and leadership development. She would like to improve city streets and power lines. Meeks was raised in Stevenson, Ala., and has lived in LaFayette for 34 years.

Bridges has served Ward 4 for eight years, and has led services at Gospel Light Christian Fellowship Church for 46 years.

Bridges, 69, said he is proud of improvements at the LaFayette-Barwick Airport and the city’s municipal golf course. He hopes to further improvements in those areas and work with the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority to continue bringing new industry to town.

Jackson, 72, has served on the council for 21 years.

Jackson, a retiree, said he is spending his time doing the city’s business, working with the American Legion and being a grandfather. He said he serves on the City Council’s utility committee, adding his main goals are to keep utility bills as low as possible, enhance the city’s power grid and keep the city clean for tourists.

Stanfield is an agent for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force. He has been involved in law enforcement in and around LaFayette for 14 years. Before that, he spent two years in the LaFayette electric department. Stanfield, 37, said he is concerned the number of businesses leaving the city limits exceeds those coming in.

Stanfield said he wanted to work with the county and state governments, seek ways to promote the city better to attract more business, and improve LaFayette’s emergency services, both in equipment and first responder training