The City of Pooler operates under a council-manager form of municipal government, in which the mayor and city council serve as the city’s primary policy-makers. Acting as a unified governing body, they are responsible for setting policy, approving budgets, enacting local ordinances, and establishing the city’s strategic vision. They also appoint a professional city manager to oversee the daily operations of the city. Designed to promote professional management and operational efficiency, the council-manager system ensures that policy-making remains in the hands of elected representatives, while daily administration is handled by an experienced, non-political manager.
In Pooler, all elected officials are elected at large. This means that each official represents the entire city rather than a specific geographic area within it.
Mayor Karen L. Williams
Mayor Karen Williams was elected to the Pooler City Council in 2020, where she served for four years before being elected Mayor in 2024. As a military spouse for many years, she actively supported and served the communities in which she and her husband were stationed, fostering a lifelong commitment to public service.
Mayor Williams is a board member of the West Chatham YMCA and an active member of the Pooler Lions Club, where she has served as Scholarship Chair for the past five years. She also serves on the Georgia Municipal Association’s (GMA) Member Services Board and Legislative Policy Council, is the District 12 Second Vice President for GMA, and is a member of the National League of Cities Military Communities Council. In addition, she participates in the GMA Mayors Reading Program, reflecting her commitment to education and community engagement.
Dedicated to continuing education and effective leadership, Mayor Williams has completed 244 hours of professional development through the Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Program at the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
Mayor Williams and her husband, TC, are the proud parents of two daughters and two grandchildren. Today, four generations of her family proudly call Pooler home, underscoring her deep personal investment in the community she serves.
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Councilmember Wesley Bashlor
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Councilmember Michael Carpenter
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Mayor Pro Tem Aaron C. Henry
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Councilmember Tom Hutcherson
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Councilmember Shannon Black Valim
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Councilmember John M. Wilcher
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