Matt Seale first came to Ocilla, Georgia in 2005 after purchasing a historic building in Ocilla’s downtown the year before. With no previous government position held, Mr. Seale became Ocilla’s Mayor in a special election in 2015 and was re-elected in the general election of 2017. As Ocilla’s Mayor, he also serves as Vice-Chairman of the Irwin County Public Health Board, and Chairman of the Ocilla-Irwin County Industrial Development Authority Board. Mayor Seale was elected as a District 11 officer with the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) and currently sits on GMA’s State Board of Directors and has been selected for the fifth year in a row to serve on GMA’s Legislative Policy Council. He also serves with the Southern Georgia Regional Commission on both the Council and as an officer on the Executive Committee.
Mayor Seale is a 1999 graduate of Georgia Tech, with a bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, & Culture. He owns and operates multiple businesses in Ocilla, including a retail business, The Shoppes at Fourth & Cherry located in Ocilla’s downtown, a financial advisory business, Fourth & Cherry Financial, a digital marketing and media production company, irwinomics, and has more recently started a food manufacturing company, Fourth & Cherry Foods. All of these businesses employ young college graduates who have a desire to live in rural places. Additionally, Mayor Seale is the creator and host of two podcasts that focus on rural communities: Small Town Podcast, which is now in its fourth season, and Green Shoots, which just began releasing episodes in October of 2021.