The first day of candidate qualifying ended Monday with Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Tim Denson signing up to run for Board of Education and three candidates challenging Mayor Kelly Girtz.
Denson is one of three commissioners, along with Russell Edwards and Melissa Link, who were drawn out of their districts by Republican state legislators, preventing them from running for re-election. Instead, he’ll seek the District 5 seat on the BOE. Incumbent Kara Dyckman has announced that she won’t seek a second term.
Salesman Elder Johnson IV qualified to run for the District 9 BOE seat being vacated by Tawana Mattox.
Two candidates qualified in Edwards’ District 7 on the commission, Allen Jones and John Culpepper. In District 9, incumbent Ovita Thornton qualified to run for re-election.
In addition to Girtz, local Republican activist Mara Zuniga, retired Clarke County School District employee Pearl Hall and Fred Moorman, a dermatologist who owns numerous rental properties in town, qualified to run for mayor.
Both of Athens’ state senators, Republicans Bill Cowsert and Frank Ginn, qualified Monday, as did Democrat Mokah Johnson, who is running for the state House seat currently held by Rep. Houston Gaines.
Four Republicans have qualified to run in the 10th Congressional District, which includes Athens: former U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, Marine Col. Mitchell Swan of Good Hope, former state revenue commissioner David Curry of Monticello and former DeKalb County chief executive Vernon Jones. Jones, who recently switched parties and is endorsed by Donald Trump, listed his address as a Watkinsville P.O. box.
Qualifying runs through noon Friday. Check back with flagpole.com for more updates.
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