Who We Are

Benita Cotton-Orr is from Simon's Town, South Africa, and was raised in Durban. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. She lives with her husband, Scott, in Sky Valley. 

Benita is a public policy consultant and communications specialist. She founded High Grounds Consulting LLC in 2022. Before that, she spent 13 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she served on the editorial board and wrote columns. She then worked as vice president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation from 2003 to 2021.

Benita campaign for Sky Valley Mayor is her first entry into politics.

Supports low taxes and private property rights.

Supports zero-based budgeting and engaging a Community Advisory Board to analyze the budget and contracts.

- Supports low taxes and private property rights.
- Supports zero-based budgeting and engaging a Community Advisory Board to analyze the budget and contracts.

Economy

Promises transparency in city government decisions.

- Promises transparency in city government decisions.

Public Services

Opposes the "master plan" for Merrill Trust due to infrastructure concerns, supports private property rights, and believes in regulating high-density development through city influence.

Opposes the "master plan" for Merrill Trust due to too much density.

- Opposes the "master plan" for Merrill Trust due to too much density.

Housing & Urban Development

Believes in consistency in the application of laws and ordinances.

- Believes in consistency in the application of laws and ordinances.

Public Safety

Believes a sewer system cannot replace current septic systems and supports a needs assessment before any changes are made.

- Believes a sewer system cannot replace current septic systems and supports a needs assessment before any changes are made.

Transportation & Infrastructure

As of September 3, 2025, Benita Cotton-Orr’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Energy & the Environment

LinkedIn

Benita Cotton-Orr

Benita Cotton-Orr is from Simon9s Town, South Africa, and was raised in Durban. She has a bachelor9s degree in journalism from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. She lives with her husband, Scott, in Sky Valley. Their children and grandchildren are frequent visitors.

Benita is a public policy consultant and communications specialist. She founded High Grounds Consulting LLC in 2022. Before that, she spent 13 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she served on the editorial board and wrote columns. She then worked as vice president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation from 2003 to 2021, leading environmental initiatives and overseeing communications and media relations.

As of September 3, 2025, Benita Cotton-Orr did not have a website or any information online.

Facebook

Benita Cotton-Orr is from South Africa. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. She lives in Sky Valley, Georgia.

Benita is the founder and principal of High Grounds Consulting LLC, a policy and communications consulting firm. She previously worked as an editorial writer and columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and served as vice president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, where she led the Foundations Environmental Initiative and managed communications and media relations.

Rabun County municipal races set for November; Dillard and ...

Benita's campaign for Sky Valley Mayor is her first entry into politics.

Benita is the founder of High Grounds Consulting LLC, which she launched in 2022. She previously worked in public policy at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, where she served as vice president and led the Foundation's Environmental Initiative. Before that, she was a journalist at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she served as an editorial writer and columnist.

James Auchincloss

Buket Urgen

Mayor & City Council - City of Sky Valley Georgia

City Mayor - City of Sky Valley

Hollie is currently the mayor of Sky Valley.

As of September 3, 2025, Hollie Steil did not have a website or any information online.

Hollie Steil

Hollie is currently the mayor of Sky Valley. She was first elected in 2020 and is currently serving her second term.

Walter Ley

- The mayor leads the executive branch of local government, presiding over city council meetings, making sure city departments run smoothly, and providing services to citizens. 
- The mayor runs the city day to day and prepares the budget each year, meaning that they propose how much funding goes to each city department, including the police department, city parks, transportation, and the fire department. 
- The mayor also hires the Police Chief, Fire Chief, and city department heads, such as City Planning, Parks & Recreation, and Transportation. 
- Most Georgia mayors are elected in odd years to four year terms. Elections are nonpartisan. 