Benita Cotton-Orr

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Buket Urgen

Who We Are

Benita Cotton-Orr is from South Africa. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. She lives in Sky Valley, Georgia.

Benita is the founder of High Grounds Consulting LLC, which she launched in 2022. She previously worked in public policy at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, where she served as vice president and led the Foundation's Environmental Initiative. Before that, she was a journalist at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she served as an editorial writer and columnist.

Rabun County municipal races set for November; Dillard and ...

Benita's campaign for Sky Valley Mayor is her first entry into politics.

As of September 3, 2025, Benita Cotton-Orr did not have a website or any information online.

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Hollie Steil

- The mayor leads the executive branch of local government, presiding over city council meetings, making sure city departments run smoothly, and providing services to citizens. 
- The mayor runs the city day to day and prepares the budget each year, meaning that they propose how much funding goes to each city department, including the police department, city parks, transportation, and the fire department. 
- The mayor also hires the Police Chief, Fire Chief, and city department heads, such as City Planning, Parks & Recreation, and Transportation. 
- Most Georgia mayors are elected in odd years to four year terms. Elections are nonpartisan. 