Sandra Vincent is no stranger to McDonough city council and is back to serve once again.

Vincent was re-elected to her District 2 seat on the city council as a result of a special election Nov. 6.

Though Vincent’s appointment to a city council seat is not the first time for her, the public servant does have some new goals for her service this time around.

The majority of Vincent’s professional background is in housing, community and economic development, a role she currently holds with Fulton County.

She credits her expertise in that arena to pulling her to get involved with McDonough city government.

“The way that I got involved with government here in McDonough is through zoning cases,” she said. “There were a lot of issues that were on the books that people had questions about and they knew I was employed with Fulton County.”

Because they knew of her connection through her employer, she was asked questions.

Through her assistance, she started to attend city council meetings and was eventually encouraged to run for office.

This progression, said Vincent, was a natural one.

“It felt natural because I get the opportunity to employ several of my passions,” she said. “I love to help people. You will always find me volunteering to do something. The giving side of me is my ministry side.”

Vincent identified three top goals now that she is back in office including ensuring that city hall becomes more business friendly — especially in terms of communicating more effectively with residents — creating a memorial space for those “gone too soon” in vacant land on Jonesboro Road and assisting with composition of a comprehensive agenda for the upcoming year.

The most pressing priority is on the first — bettering the city’s mode and methods of communication with residents.

“McDonough, for a number of years, was a very small community,” she said. “Up until 20 years ago, we were a population of 3,000. It is important to me to maintain the integrity of that, as well as engage new residents. The communication infrastructure is not what it should be. There really needs to be a more concerted effort in getting the community engaged with the things that are happening at city hall.”

Vincent is a McDonough resident and has four daughters.