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Thomas Griffith
My name is Thomas Griffith, and I am running for a seat on the Ellijay City Council.
As an avid trail runner and mountain biker, I first started visiting Ellijay during the late ’90s. From the first time I visited, I felt drawn to this town. I am married to an Ellijay native, Mistil Pritchett Griffith. (daughter of Tim Pritchett and Diane Jones). Our family includes Adam, Raigh and Titus. Just over three years ago, we purchased a home in downtown Ellijay and decided to finally make Ellijay our home.
I currently serve as director of Facilities and Maintenance for Gilmer County Schools. As a graduate of Cartersville High School, as well as Furman University, I have bled purple my entire life.
I received a B.A. in Business Administration from Furman and went on to work in the private sector several years before being called into education 17 years ago. Once beginning my career in education, I completed my certification in special education through the University of Georgia. Afterward, I furthered my education by receiving a master’s degree in special education from Walden University, as well as an educational specialist degree from Piedmont College.
In addition to my work for the school system, I have been a residential general contractor for over 20 years. A lot of the work I have done has involved the restoration of historic homes. Preserving our history is something that is very important to me. For this reason, I have served on the Ellijay Historical Preservation Committee for the last two years.
As a member of the Ellijay City Council, I would like to protect the Ellijay that we all love. There are so many aspects of this small town that make people from all over want to visit and/or live here. Let’s embrace, but protect who we are. It will take careful planning to ensure that Ellijay does not become a reflection of the places people are escaping when they come to Ellijay.
Secondly, I would like to help make Ellijay a healthier, more active town for our locals and our visitors by expanding our recreational offerings. I would like to explore alternative funding sources to create more opportunities for people to get outside and enjoy our beautiful town.
Ellijay holds a special place in the hearts of its residents, as well as its visitors from all over the world. As one of your council-
members, I vow to protect our town, while at the same time preparing it for the future.