The ACC Board of Elections has called for two special elections, one to fill an open seat for ACC Clerk of Superior and State Court and the other to fill an open position on the Winterville City Council. Both elections will take place on November 7, 2023.
ACC Clerk of Court
ACC Clerk of Court Beverly Logan retired in May after serving in the position for 30 years, prompting the need for a special election. Elisa Zarate has been serving as clerk of court in the interim before a new clerk is elected.
According to gaclerks.org, clerks of court “maintain criminal and civil court filings and serve as custodian of county land and property records.” You can read more about the duties of a Clerk of Superior Court here.
Anyone who lives in Athens and is registered to vote here can qualify to run for this seat after paying the qualifying fee of $2,173.02 (3% of the position’s annual salary). If you’re interested in running, make sure to register at the ACC Board of Elections office sometime between Monday, August 21 and Wednesday, August 23.
Winterville Special Election
Winterville residents were already scheduled to elect two city council members and their mayor this November, but now they’ll also get to select a third member of the council after the resignation of Timothy Pierce-Tomlin.
Winterville’s city council only has four seats total, so that means three-fourths of the body is up for election on November 7 in addition to the mayor’s seat.
Sitting council member Melissa Metzger told APN that she will be running for re-election, but council member Amanda Mooney said that she’ll be stepping down at the end of the year.
There are no council districts in Winterville, so all residents vote for every council seat up for election. The two candidates getting the most votes in the general election will be elected to two of the open seats, and the candidate getting the most votes in the special election will also be seated.
Winterville Mayor Dodd Ferrelle told APN that he is still deciding but that he is “leaning heavily” towards running again. That would set up a possible third term for Ferrelle — Winterville does not have limits on mayoral terms.
Qualifying fees are $540 for Mayor of Winterville and $126 for a city council seat, reflecting the salaries of these positions. Just as with ACC Clerk of Court, candidate qualifying will take place between Monday, August 21 and Wednesday, August 23.
As always, you can keep up with upcoming elections on APN’s candidates page and our Voter FAQ page.
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