Top posts contested in 3 cities
By Shane Scoggins
Publisher
There will be three contested races for mayor and contests for city council in two Franklin County cities this year.
Franklin Springs, Royston and Canon will all have contested mayoral elections come November, while Royston and Franklin Springs will have contested council races.
Political races for city offices for the Nov. 4 election took shape this week.
Qualifying for municipal races opened Monday and closed Wednesday afternoon.
• Franklin Springs.
As expected, Franklin Springs will have a contested race for mayor. The city will also have a contested council race.
Incumbent Lee Moore and challengers Bruce Scranton and Josh Griffeth all qualified Monday for the mayor’s post.
For council, incumbent Tom Wilson qualified for reelection Monday, as did newcomer Bryan Matheson. On Wednesday, incumbent Joshua Walden and newcomer Joanna Matheson also qualified.
The top two votegetters for council will win seats in November.
• Royston.
The race for Royston mayor will pit incumbent Keith Turman against Jason Phillips, who resigned his Post 2 seat on the council last week in order to run for mayor.
Phillips qualified for mayor Monday, while Turman signed up for reelection Wednesday.
Incumbents Matt Fields in Post 3 and David Pressley in Post 5 qualified Monday for reelection.
There will be a contested race for the Post 1 seat.
Wesley Fricks qualified to run in Post 1 Monday, as did Robert C. “Bob” Adamson on Wednesday. That seat is currently held by Kenneth Roach.
Jared Hightower announced this week that he would seek election to Post 2, which was vacated by Phillips. Qualifying for that seat will be held next month.
The Royston City Council will meet Monday at 5 p.m. to discuss the special election for Post 2.
• Canon.
Canon will have a contested race for mayor as well.
Incumbent Annie Wallace qualified for reelection Tuesday.
Canon Council Member Eli Brown resigned from the council and qualified Monday to run for the mayor’s post.
Incumbent council members Dale Garner and Cullen Morgan were the only ones to qualify for the two council seats.
City Clerk Holly Elrod said that a special qualifying period for Brown’s seat on the council will be held Sept. 15-17, pending council approval.
The race for Brown’s seat will be on the Nov. 4 ballot but will be separate from the race for the other two seats on the council.
If more than two people qualify for the council seats held by Garner and Morgan, the top two votegetters in the November election will win seats.
• Carnesville.
There will be no need for an election in Carnesville.
Incumbent council member Wesley Dove qualified for reelection on Monday, and incumbent Mike Barrett qualified Tuesday morning.
The seats held by Dove and Barrett are the only positions up for election this year in Carnesville.
• Lavonia.
Incumbents Michael Schulman, in Post 1, and Jeremy Madden, in Post 2, qualified Monday for reelection.
The Post 1 and Post 2 are the only offices up for election this year in Lavonia.
Election Day will be Nov. 4.