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The Town of Keysville has a new council member following the resignation of Vice Mayor George Sandridge.

According to Keysville Mayor Steven Morris, Mark White Jr. has been appointed to fill the seat left vacant by Sandridge.

Sandridge, who was the youngest Town Council member in Keysville’s history when elected at the age of 20 in 2019, has relocated.

Sandridge has moved to Altavista after being hired as the town’s Main Street coordinator and the executive director of Altavista on Track, which is the non-profit Main Street organization.

“I’m going to miss being involved and helping to direct change within the community,” Sandridge said. “However, I have full confidence that Mayor Morris and the entire council will work to ensure the growth that we’ve had over the past couple of years will continue into the future.”

While Sandridge said he has many accomplishments, he felt proud of implementing a cigarette tax, beginning the federal and state historic district survey, starting the Enterprise Zone expansion process, allocating CARES funding to upgrade the water meters, and helping to bring a new housing development to town were a few he felt strongly about.

According to Sandridge, though he will no longer be in Keysville, he will continue to stay active as the town’s policy consultant.

According to Morris, White will fill the seat until November, when a special election will be held.

Morris said White would seek the seat in the November election.

After multiple contacts, as of press time, White has not responded to questions concerning his qualifications and vision for Keysville.

As for the vice mayor position, Morris said there has been no decision made as to who will fill that.