Remembering longtime Columbus Councilor, Jerry ‘Pops’ Barnes
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL)— A highly respected and beloved Columbus City Council member, Jerry “Pops” Barnes, has passed away. WRBL received word from the Mayor’s Office Monday morning, WRBL spoke with the mayor and one former councilor who served beside him for two decades.
“He was like an angel, you know. He was just there,” former Councilor Mimi Woodson described. “We’re going to really miss him, and nobody can fill his shoes. Nobody.”
The Army veteran and Philadelphia native spent the last 20 years making Columbus better as councilor. Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson says he was the most available councilor.
“Pops was a lot of firsts for me. He was the first councilor I ever saw make a commitment and fulfill that commitment of knocking on every door in his district. He spent a couple of years, but he knocked on every single door,” Mayor Henderson said. “He used to sit in front of a store on St. Mary’s Road, on the back of a pickup truck in the bed every Saturday at 12:00. So, people knew, his constituents knew. And then other people from other areas knew that if they showed up in front of that store at noon on Saturday, they’d have direct access to Pops.”
During his tenure, Barnes championed more than $40 million in infrastructure improvements. Larger projects including $31 million for the Natatorium and City Services Center, $4.5 million for Forrest Road bridge replacements, and $1.6 million for Corporate Ridge and Woodruff Farm signals. Despite how much he’s done for District 1 and the city, he’s remembered for his tenacity.
“Pops had passions. He was passionate about veterans. He was passionate about people who needed access to health care… He was passionate about seniors, and he focused on trying to close gaps,” Mayor Henderson said.
Barnes was sworn into the District 1 seat in 2004, he served alongside Woodson for 20 years. Woodson said more than a fellow councilor, he was a friend, and someone she grew close to when learning her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She says his compassion for others is what she, and Columbus, can never replace.
“What can I say? This community has a great big loss. It really does. Because he didn’t care who you were or your background. If he sensed something was wrong, he was there and he would go visit people at their homes,” Wodoson said. “He would tell me, ‘I can come take care of her. You can take a break.’ And ‘I’m like, okay, okay.’ I never let him over that, but… that’s going to be a big empty seat.”
No word has been shared yet on funeral arrangements. Barnes is survived by his wife and eight children. He was 80 years old.
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