Dear Editor,
At its Nov. 7 meeting, the Putnam County Commission was presented with a proposal to seek local legislation changing how a vacancy on the Board of Commissioners is filled. That proposal was postponed (tabled) until the meeting to be held on Nov. 18. The postponement was to allow the county attorney time to add more provisions to the proposed legislation.
Over the past 30-plus years, there have been only three (mid-term) vacancies on the board: Bill Moore resigned as chairman in 1997, Alan Foster resigned in 2023, and in 2024, Gary McElhenney passed away. In each case, the four remaining members of the board continued to conduct business as usual until an election filled the vacancy.
State law (O.C.G.A. 36-5-21) currently provides that any vacancy occurring more than six months prior to the expiration of the member’s term of office is to be filled by a Special Election and that any vacancy occurring within six months of the expiration of the member’s term of office is to be filled by appointment by a judge of the Superior Court — a neutral third party.
This law has served the board well for over 30 years. Why change it now?
The proposed local legislation would provide for an appointment by the remaining members of the board if the vacancy occurs within 12 months prior to the expiration of a vacated term. Further, the proposal fails to allow for a tie vote and does not require that the appointed member reside in the same district as the vacancy. If the proposal is changed to include a residence requirement, to allow a judge to make the appointment, and to reduce the timeframe for appointment to 6 months, we simply have the current State Law.
Surely the board has more urgent business than changing a process that has worked for over 30 years.
Stephen Hersey District 3 Commissioner