Pota Coston, Fayette County’s first-ever black commissioner, passed away Friday following a months-long battle with cancer.
Coston, 57, had been battling breast cancer since January, the same month she was sworn in for her first term as Fayette County’s District 5 commissioner. She was admitted to the hospital June 25 and moved to hospice Tuesday.
She is survived by her husband, Bernard, and son, Bernie.
“Everybody’s kind of in shock,” Fayette County Commission Chairman Charles Oddo told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday. “… She was a really nice lady.”
Information about funeral arrangements was not immediately available.
Coston was a native of Elkins, W.Va., and a graduate of Marshall University. According to her campaign website, she spent 29 years in federal law enforcement, most of it with the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigation-business division.
She retired in 2008.
Coston was a member of Elizabeth Baptist Church and a consultant for AVPRIDE, a youth leadership development organization based in Fayetteville.
Her election last November made her the first black commissioner in Fayette County history. She served as vice chairperson.
“Her genuine hugs let you know how special she is,” Fayette County NAACP President John E. Jones said in a statement released Wednesday. “So I rest in the reality that while we know not what the future holds for any of us, we do know that Pota Coston will forever be the one who gave many of us in Fayette County a real reason to lift every voice and vote.”
A Thursday night prayer vigil for Coston brought a standing-room only crowd to county commission's chambers. Oddo said speakers were set up outside the chambers — which holds about 200 people — and supporters watched through windows as they listened to those offering well-wishes.
“I found it amazing, and I think a lot of people did,” Oddo said. “In her last moments, she brought a lot of people together, and I think that’s what she would have loved.”
Oddo said a special election will eventually be held to fill Coston’s commission seat. Those details have not yet been worked out.
“It’s something that we’ve obviously had to consider,” Oddo said, “but didn’t want to dwell on until we had to.”
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