Runoff election for Post Two Commissioner planned
While the most important state results will come in November, the primary election last week decided some of Gilmer County’s most important races.
Gilmer County Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlie Paris won his bid for reelection, beating challenger Doug Rink.
Early results show Paris won with 4,222 votes to Rink’s 2,215.
The race for Post Two Commissioner was close enough to require a runoff between the top two candidates, Gary Engel and Danny Hall.
Engel had 2,648, while Hall had 2,065 votes, according to early results.
Engel said Gilmer is entering a “critical time” that requires careful and effective financial management.
“It’s not a popularity contest, it’s about who’s got the best skills to do the job.”
Today, the county is in much better financial shape than in the past, and it needs to stay that way, Engel said.
He added that in a free country, it is impossible to stop development. But it’s possible to plan it in ways that make housing affordable and the county beautiful.
Hall said he was running for Post Two Commissioner because he wanted to keep Gilmer different from surrounding counties.
If the county urbanizes, it will lose its natural beauty and won’t bring in as much tourism, he said.
“I know what the best for the county would be,” he said. “There’s ways of doing development without destroying the land with it.”
The runoff election between the two will have early voting from Monday, June 8, to Friday, June 12.
Early voting will be available at Gilmer County Elections at 1 Broad Street, Ellijay.
The runoff election itself will be held on June 16.
Polling places for the day of the primary include the following:
• Ellijay South: Civic Center at 1559 South Main Street, Ellijay;
• Cartecay: Oakland Clubhouse at 8156 Highway 52 East, Ellijay;
• Tails Creek: The Tails Creek Clubhouse at 73 Crossroads Church Road, Ellijay;
• Town Creek: First Baptist Ellijay South at 4731 Old Highway Five South, Ellijay;
• Leaches: Flat Creek Fire Station at 7065 Highway 382 West, Ellijay;
• Cherry Log: Cherry Log Clubhouse, 341 Cherry Log Street, Cherry Log;
• Boardtown: Boardtown Clubhouse at 7289 Boardtown Road, Ellijay;
• Mountaintown: Mountaintown Fire Station at 261 Mountaintown Road, Ellijay;
• East Ellijay: East Ellijay City Hall at 107 Oak Street, Ellijay;
• Ellijay North: Coosawattee Shrine Club at 100 Shrine Club Drive, Ellijay;
• Yukon: Yukon Fire Station at 5752 Yukon Road, Ellijay;
• Roy Road: Roy Road Fire Station at 7212 Roy Road, Ellijay;
• Ellijay Northeast: Lions Club at 1729 Main Street, Ellijay.
Other local positions that were decided during the primary election include the County Board of Education’s Post Four and Post Five.
Michele Penland won Post Four uncontested, and Jacob Callihan won Post Five uncontested.