On Ballot: Mayor, council, BOE
Calhoun is due for changes as the City looks to hire two new employees and prepares for November elections.
ADraut@CalhounTimes.com
The City of Calhoun has opened the qualifying time period for the mayor, two city council seats and two school board seats – which will be voted on in the November election – and is also looking to hire two new employees.
The incumbent elected officials are Jimmy Palmer, who has been the mayor of Calhoun for more than 20 years now; on the City Council, Post 1 Councilwoman Jackie Palazzolo and Post 2 Councilman Al Edwards; and on the Calhoun City Schools Board of Education, Post 4 Board Member Eddie Reeves and Post 5 Board Member Tony Swink.
By not having all of their officials run for reelection in one voting season, the city follows a staggered election process, which City Administrator Eddie Peterson said allows for longterm continuity.
Qualifying fees are listed at $432 for the mayor position, $252 for city council and $1 for the board of education.
Qualifying for the offices listed above will be held at City Hall, located at 226 S. Wall St., beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 19 and will end at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 21. The general election will be held Nov. 5.
The city is also accepting applications for both an engineer in training and a certified police officer.
ELECTION,
In engineering, Peterson said the city might have an employee deployed with his reserve military position and is aiming to prepare for that potential absence. The hired applicant will complete tasks such as designing water and sewer projects, surveying GPS equipment, inspecting construction projects
and performing hydraulic modeling.
Applicants are expected to have strong writing and interpersonal skills and be willing to learn AutoCAD, ArcGIS and Microsoft Office.
The police officer applicants must have a high school diploma (or equivalent), a valid Georgia driver’s license, no felony arrest record and the ability to pass the medical and physical fitness exam as required by the state. Being bilingual is not required but
would be a plus.
“The police position is a regular on-duty replacement to fill a vacancy that allowed for an internal second school resource officer, which the school system helps the city fund,” said Peterson. “Two school resource officers are a security need. It’s not a new full-time position but rather a replacement after addressing the current needs.”
For both of the hired positions and all five of the elected positions, getting
the best person for the job is the city’s top priority, according to Peterson.
“The city knows the importance of quality employees who are dedicated to providing the best customer and city services,” Peterson said.
Applications for the open positions are available at City Hall during normal business hours or online at www. cityofcalhoun-ga.com. Qualifying packets for the elected positions are also available at City Hall.