Qualifying reopens on City Commission special election
When the Board of Elections office opens on Tuesday morning, a new round of qualifying will take place for a special election within the City of Cedartown coming up on the November ballot.
Candidates who want to get into the race to fill the rest of the term held by outgoing Commissioner Jordan Hubbard will need to get their paperwork and fees paid by this coming Thursday at noon.
So far, only one candidate has declared in the forthcoming race.
Local banker Sam Branch announced on Facebook in late August that he will seek to fill the rest of the term being left open when Hubbard departs at the close of the month.
“Over the past few years while working with the Ex
change Club of Cedartown and serving on the Cedartown Civic Arts Commission, I have had the opportunity to work in a city I love, with people I love,” Branch said on a Facebook post on his new political candidate page on the site. “Our citizens deserve the absolute best. The individuals that work day in and day out to make our city great deserve the absolute best. Over the next few days and weeks, you will see me share more about my plans to continue moving the city in a direction we can all be proud of!”
Branch, who works for Suntrust in Cedartown as a personal banker, also works with Olin L. Gammage and Sons Funeral Home. The Cedartown native is a Class of 2009 Bulldog alum.
Qualifying fees for the City Commission are $54. Paperwork is also required to run for the offices, which can be filled out at the Board of Elections office.
Those interested in more information can contact Elections Director Lee Ann George at 770749-2103.
Cedartown’s commission race re-opened in recent weeks when Commissioner Jordan Hubbard announced he would be stepping down from his seat fulfilling plans to move into a new home outside of the city limits. He was elected to serve a new term in 2017, and the remainder of the time in office expires in 2021.
The seat is at-large, meaning anyone who lives within the city and meets the residency and other legal requirements, files paperwork and pays the fee can run for the office.
If only one person seeks the seat, then the City of Cedartown won’t be required to hold an election in November at all. Commissioners Dale Tuck and Andrew Carter both qualified in August to retain their seats without any opposition.
Elections will be needed for Rockmart and Aragon this year, as both cities have contested races. Rockmart’s mayor race will see former council member Sherman Ross face off against Mark Lumpkin, and Aragon’s council race for two seats is a four-candidate race featuring incumbent Judd Fee, along with Mike Long Jr., Gary Shindelbower and Buddy Tanner.