Temporary council vacancy is filled

Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed Ruben Sands of Marietta to fill the temporary vacancy in Ward 5 on the Marietta City Council.

Born in Marietta, Sands was among a handful of Marietta residents who expressed interest in the appointment.

Sands, a WellStar Kennestone Hospital employee since 1980, has been a manager and scorekeeper for Marietta High School athletic teams for more than 30 years, a service commissioner of the Marietta Housing Authority for seven years, an assistant manager of the Cobb County Board of Elections for 23 years and an adviser for the Lemon Street Heritage Group for three years.

The vacancy was left when Anthony Coleman was declared guilty in May on one count of lying about his friend’s community service.

Cobb Superior Court Judge Tain Kell sentenced Coleman to serve 500 hours of community service and five years of probation and to pay a $1,000 fine.

Deal was involved since Marietta does not have a law about filling a City Council seat during a temporary suspension.

There still are possibilities that Coleman’s conviction will be overturned and he then could be reinstated to serve on the council.

After a final conviction is determined, then a special election would need to be called by the City Council, unless that election would occur within six months of next year’s council election.