From the halls of Wentworth to the mayor’s seat in Sky Valley, California, Benita Cotton-Orr’s journey is nothing short of remarkable.
Born in Simon’s Town and raised in Durban, Cotton-Orr will officially take up the role of Sky Valley Mayor in 2026, following a municipal election this week.
She amassed 53.41% of the votes, beating her opponent, Hollie Steil, who garnered 46.59%.
In a post following her win, Cotton-Orr said she planned to make voters proud.
“In my native land, I wasn’t even allowed to vote. Because of the color of my skin, I was classified “Cape Coloured.” So I watched from the sidelines,” she said in a post on Facebook.
She went on to thank her husband for his support.
“I am so grateful for the encouragement of my wonderful husband. I hope I have proved my appreciation for the opportunity to step up for my community. I know my boys are proud. All our family is,” she said.
According to her Facebook profile, Cotton-Orr attended Wentworth High School before she began her Journalism studies at Rhodes University.
She went on to immigrate to Georgia in 1986, seeking a safer life for her family, according to her website.
After living in Cobb County, Cotton-Orr moved to Sky Valley where, with her husband, Scott, she fell in love with the “serenity of Georgia’s highest and coolest city”, the website stated.
Cotton-Orr further founded a policy and communications firm in Sky Valley. After over a decade as a journalist in Atlanta, Cotton-Orr further took up the post of Vice President of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.
Cotton-Orr’s win comes just hours after Zohran Mamdani was named New York mayor. Mamdani grew up in Cape Town in the mid-1990s. He was born in Kampala, Uganda, and moved to the Mother City in 1996.
In a recent interview with People Magazine, Mamdani reflected on his childhood.
“When you’re the kid of two parents who are very involved in social justice, a lot of times what you remember as a playdate was you being at some rally or some march,” he said.
seanne.rall@iol.co.za
IOL
