March 2025 | Volume 18 | Issue 5
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Cody Sumners
‘Worst-kept secret’ Cody Sumners running for Chelsea mayor
Realtor Diane Godber leads US 280 corridor market
By TAYLOR BRIGHT
By EMILY REED
A
fter spending time as a stay-at-home mom, Diane Godber was challenged by her husband to find something she loved to do as she prepared to re-enter the workforce 27 years ago. “We had just had our second child, and I was kind of getting mommy brain a bit,” Godber said. “I knew it was time to get back out there and find a job, and my husband told me to pick something I have always wanted to do and go do it. I have always loved architecture and house design, so real estate seemed like a really natural fit.” That natural fit has helped propel her to be one of the top agents for the 35242 and 35243 ZIP codes, with 87.5 units sold for approximately $50.6 million in 2024.
THE REAL ESTATE REPORT
See GODBER | page A16
This story is part of The Real Estate Report. For the full report, see pages A16-22.
Chelsea City Councilman and former Shelby County sheriff’s deputy Cody Sumners has announced his candidacy for mayor. Sumners, who has served on the City Council since 2016, said his dedication to public safety and infrastructure were key motivators for his decision to run. He said a few years ago, he was approached by people in the community to run but didn’t think the time was right. “I really had a lot of people start coming to me and talking about running for mayor,” Sumners said. “I still didn’t really have any desire to do it at the time. And then, as some time went by and talking to more people and looking around at things that I thought, you know, we might have to work on and do this different or that different, it just became something I was considering.” Sumners retired this year from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. He said the decision to retire and his campaign were unrelated other than the time commitment. “I was waiting until we got to 2025 and that way I could go ahead and retire and take it easy for a couple of months and start campaigning,” he said.
Diane Godber, a Realtor with Harris Doyle Homes, plays checkers in a model home in The Brayfield at Liberty Park subdivision. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
INSIDE
Sponsors..........................A4 City....................................A6
Schoolhouse....................A8 Business......................... A10
Events............................. A14 Sports...............................B4
See SUMNERS | page A23 Community.................... B10 facebook.com/280living
Summer Fun
Hornets Triumph
Explore summer camp options near you in the 2025 Summer Camp Guide.
Chelsea girls bring home first state indoor track and field title.
See pages B1
See page B4