Gilmer County will have to wait until another day to know if local elections will be governed by a board or still be supervised by Gilmer County Probate Judge Scott Chastain.
In the first work session of the year for the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners, members spent hours discussing various issues, including creating an election board. Major decisions were put off at the regular meeting as two out of three commissioners were quarantined because of COVID-19.
Chairman Charlie Paris and Post Commissioner Karleen Ferguson called into the regular meeting, which under emergency operation rules, allowed for a quorum and votes to be taken. But, major issues were taken off the table for the meeting.
At the work session the previous day, Ferguson called into the meeting from quarantine, but Paris was in attendance with Post Commissioner Hubert Parker.
Chastain attended the work session to again make his case for creating an election board in the county and to remove the duties of supervisor from his office.
Chief Registrar Tammy Watkins, who supports creating the board, was also in attendance.
“I think now is the time we need to do it,” she said. “I was against it at first.”
An election board has been proposed by Chastain because he said his duties have grown as the population of the county has grown and he has less time to devote to the elections part of his duties.
In addition, he says as an elected official himself, being on the ballot while running the election, creates problems of oversight.
When his office is up for election, he must appoint three people and pay them to oversee the election to avoid conflicts, Chastain wrote in an email to Parker.
“The common person has no idea what it takes to run an election,” said Watkins.
Paris voiced concerns about finding the right people for the board and finding people from both parties who could work together.
“One of my concerns is, realizing that both parties are going to represented, whether we are at a point in this country where we can have civil discourse between the two parties,” he said.
He went on to say he thought we could in Gilmer County. He stressed people chosen for the board would have to work as nonpartisan, and it would have to be in the job description.
A process to remove people who become ‘roadblocks’ should be part of the process, Paris said.
Board Attorney David Clarke said the board would have to be created through state legislation. He advised working with Speaker David Ralston’s office to get initial language for commissioners to review.
It might be a bill which doesn’t get acted on until the start of next year, Clarke cautioned.
Chastain said he wanted something in place before the 2022 elections begin.
“I understand your desire not to have that situation,” said Paris. “But, this is something that I look at as being a one-way road.”
He said he wants it to be very well thought out before they go to state officials.
The issue was removed from the regular session agenda.