35-year-old mayor of coastal Georgia town dies of COVID complications, officials say
A coastal Georgia community is mourning the loss of its town mayor to COVID-19.
Riceboro Mayor Joseph “Joe” Harris died Tuesday at Liberty Regional Hospital after a battle with the coronavirus, Mayor Pro-tem Pearlie Axson confirmed on Facebook. Harris was 35 years old.
City officials said he’d been hospitalized sometime last week and it’s unclear if Harris was vaccinated or had underlying health conditions.
“Mayor Harris was dedicated to bring attention to the city through affordable housing, new business attraction, and retention of youth and young families,” according to a statement posted on the city’s Facebook page. “He desired Riceboro to remain a hometown with pride while having access to opportunities.”
Riceboro is a town of about 1,000 people located about 50 miles southwest of Savannah.
Harris, a Riceboro native, took office in 2020 after previously serving as the city’s grant administrator, the city’s website states. In addition to his mayoral duties, he was also a minister and teacher at Lyman Hall Elementary School in nearby Hinesville.
McClatchy News reached out to the Liberty County School District on Tuesday and is awaiting a response.
Harris’ funeral arrangements haven’t been announced. City officials said they’ve been “overwhelmed” by calls from the community.
“At this time, we are asking everyone to respect his privacy and allow the family to grieve this loss before any other information is released,” the statement read.
City council members will meet to discuss how the remainder of the mayor’s term will be fulfilled.
Harris’ death comes as Georgia continues to grapple with a rapid rise in coronavirus cases. The Peach State reported more than 9,400 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health, pushing the total case count past 1.1 million since the start of the pandemic.
More than 800 people were reported hospitalized with the virus as of Tuesday, latest data show, and the state confirmed 191 additional COVID-related deaths.
This story was originally published September 21, 2021 at 2:58 PM with the headline "35-year-old mayor of coastal Georgia town dies of COVID complications, officials say."