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The untimely passing of Dr. David Miller has left an empty seat on the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners. Last week commissioners decided on a special election date of November 2.
The Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners voted to call a special election for Nov. 2 in order to fill the vacancy left in the board representing District 1 as a result of the passing of Commissioner Dr. David Miller during its Special Called Meeting on Wednesday, May 12.
“I don’t think anybody expected us to be in the position that we’re in,” Board Chairman Chris Dockery said at the meeting. “It’s a time to really reflect on life and how fragile it really is. We never know what tomorrow holds...As hard as it is to conduct business when we have a fellow commissioner that has just passed...we have to continue to do our duty as elected officials.”
In accordance with the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners Enabling Legislation, in the case of an unexpected vacancy on the board where the term remaining is greater than 90 days, a special election must be called “within 15 days after the vacancy occurs.”
The election could legally be held on one of four days: September 21, November 2, March 15, 2022 or May 24, 2022.
While the cost of a special election was included in the 2021 budget, making the Sept. 21 date a possibility, the board instead opted to hold the election on Nov. 2 in conjunction with Dahlonega’s city election in hopes of sharing the cost of the election with the city.
When the election is complete, the new commissioner will join the board immediately, instead of waiting until Jan. 1, and will complete the remaining three years of Miller’s term.
The board also voted to establish the qualifying fee for candidates at $288. The fee is determined based on Georgia Code which sets the fee at three percent of the base salary, which for Lumpkin is $9,600.