Changes in East Ellijay’s governmental structure continued last week, following the passing of longtime Mayor Mack West in February.
Prior city councilmember and mayor pro-tem Don Callihan was sworn in as East Ellijay’s mayor last month. At the March 15 council meeting, Callihan swore in a new councilmember, James Waters, to fill the vacant seat, while also naming councilmember Chris Callihan, his son, mayor pro-tem for the remainder of the current term.
Waters, the newest East Ellijay City Council member, is a longtime residential and commercial builder, business owner and East Ellijay resident. He previously served a four-year term on the Gilmer County Board of Education.
“I enjoyed being on the school board and being able to help the community, and help the community grow the way it needs to,” said Waters about why he wanted to be on the council.
“He was raised in East Ellijay. He’s a successful businessman, and I think he’ll add a lot to the council,” said Mayor Callihan.
Waters will serve on the council at least till the end of the year, as the city’s charter allows for the appointment of a councilmember during the last year of a four-year term. Chris Callihan was also named to the council during the current term, shortly before West passed away, which made for a full four-person board at the time.
All of East Ellijay’s city council seats and the mayoral seat are up for election in November. Should Waters or either Callihan qualify to run for election, they will then have to run for a full four-year term in November.
Qualifying for the election will be from Aug. 21-23.
In other news ...
﹣ A new city attorney and internal auditor will be hired for East Ellijay.
James Balli, who previously represented House Speaker David Ralston and currently represents the Ellijay-Gilmer County Water and Sewerage Authority, will be the city’s new attorney. The new internal auditor has not been named yet.
﹣ Councilmembers approved the installation of a wall and security door, which will be safety measures to limit access from the lobby area of City Hall to the rest of the building.
“With the layout of our building, we felt like it would be prudent to keep folks in the lobby until they can be waited on. It’s somewhat for safety and somewhat trying to keep up with what we’re supposed to be doing with our GCIC (Georgia Crime Information Center) requirements, anyway,” said Public Safety Director Larry Callahan.