Qualifying to begin soon for mayor, council seats and commission seat

Three cities in Pike will elect mayors in November – including Molena, Williamson and Zebulon – and qualifying will begin soon for a county commission seat and council seats for four local municipalities.Upcoming elections will be handled by the Board of Elections and Registrations and if all cities allow the board to control their elections, all early voting for the county will be offered at Pike County Office of Elections and Registration at 81 Jackson Street in Zebulon. Each precinct will still be open for voters on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters in Zebulon may have a different polling place this Election Day, however. A public hearing is set for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27 in the commissioner’s conference room at 331 Thomaston Street in Zebulon. Residents from the city of Zebulon are encouraged to give their input on possibly moving the polling place from Zebulon City Hall to the Pike County courthouse. The board would save money for Pike’s five cities and many of the councils are in the process of approving intergovernmental agreements with the county’s Office of Elections and Registration. Instead of each city paying poll workers for weeks of early voting, all city residents will be able to vote early at the Jackson Street office. ’Having a board of elections has worked well for all but 35 or so counties in Georgia,’ said Pike County registrar Lynn Vickers. ‘That being said, Pike County will see benefits in this way of providing election services by having a group of board members dedicated to the election process. This process should provide a cost savings by combining resources with the county and municipalities and having a staff dedicated to being there for the citizens of Pike County.’Early voting will be held Oct. 14 through Nov. 1 at the Office of Elections and Registration at 81 Jackson Street in Zebulon, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Monday, Oct. 7 is the last day for local voters to register to vote and be eligible to vote in the November election. For more information about elections in the county and municipalities of Concord, Meansville, Molena, Williamson and Zebulon and the new board of elections and registration, call Lynn Vickers, election supervisor at 770-567-2003 or stop by the Office of Elections and Registration on Jackson Street. Pike CountyThe District 3 commission seat formerly held by the late Tommy Powers will be up for election in November. Those interested in running for the District 3 commission seat can qualify at the Pike County Office of Elections and Registration at 81 Jackson Street in Zebulon starting at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 19 and ending at noon Friday, Aug. 23. The qualifying fee is $162.Concord The city of Concord will elect council members for Post 3, currently held by Josh Caldwell, Post 4, currently held by Subrenna Weathers and Post 5, currently held by Rick Calhoun, during the November election. Those interested in running for council can qualify at Concord City Hall at 50 Main Street starting Tuesday, Aug. 20 and ending Thursday, Aug. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The qualifying fee is $9. WilliamsonThe city of Williamson will have four council seats as well as the mayor’s seat up for election in November. Steve Fry is the current mayor. Stephen Levin holds the Council 1 seat, the Council 3 seat is currently vacant, Carol Berry holds the Council 4 seat and Brenda Bennett holds the Council 5 seat. To qualify for any of the seats, visit the Williamson City Hall starting at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 19 and ending at 4 p.m. Aug. 21. MolenaThe city of Molena will have two council seats as well as the mayor’s seat up for election in November. George Ingram is the current mayor of Molena. The Post 1 seat is currently vacant and the Post 2 seat is currently held by Damon Riggins. Qualifying will be held at Molena City Hall from 8:30 to 3:30 Monday, Aug. 26 through Wednesday, Aug. 28 with the office closing from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch. The qualifying fee is $18 for mayor and $9 for city council. ZebulonThe city of Zebulon will hold a special election Nov. 5 to fill the unexpired term of the District 2, Post 2 due to the resignation of Joseph Walter who plans to run for mayor in November. Current mayor Bobby Blalock has decided to retire after his term ends. Those interested in running for the council seat can qualify starting Monday, Aug. 19 through Friday, Aug. 23 from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. daily except for Aug. 23 when qualifying will end at 11:30 a.m. Qualifying information packets are available at Zebulon City Hall. The special election will be held at the Pike County courthouse in Zebulon with polls open at 7 a.m. through 7 p.m. on Election Day.