Tuesday, March 08, 2016

Oconee County Commissioner Daniell Files For Commission Chair Position In Second Day Of Qualifying

Coroner Contest

Oconee County Commissioner John Daniell made it official today, filing to run as a Republican for the position of Chair of the Board of Commissioners.

Upon filing, Daniell had to resign as Post 2 Commissioner. The county will need to hold a special election in November to fill that position.

This is Daniell’s second attempt to win the position as Chair of the Commission. He challenged incumbent Melvin Davis in the Republican Primary in 2004, at the end of Davis’ first term.

Davis, who has announced he will retire in December, won handily in the 2004 race against Daniell, getting 63.4 percent of the vote.

Dale Rogers today also qualified to run for Coroner. Incumbent Ed Carson qualified yesterday, and the two will face off in the Republican primary on May 24.

Yesterday’s Filings

Yesterday Oconee County’s three representatives in the Georgia General Assembly filed for reelection in the first day of qualifying, as did all four of the county’s constitutional officers, Coroner Carson, and incumbent Board of Education Chair Tom Odom.

John Daniell

Kevin "Chappy" Hynes, former chaplain to the University of Georgia football team, qualified to run against incumbent Sheriff Scott Berry in the Republican primary.

No one has yet filed for Post 1 or Post 4 on the BOC.

Post 1 Commissioner Jim Luke has announced he will not seek reelection, but Post 4 Commissioner Mark Saxon has indicated he does plan to qualify for reelection to that spot.

The terms of Board of Education Post 4 member Tim Burgess and Post 5 member Wayne Bagley also expire.

Burgess sent me an email message this morning indicating that he plans to qualify for reelection.

Qualifying runs through noon on Friday.

Rogers And Daniells

Rogers is licensed funeral director and embalmer with Lord and Stephens Funeral Home, which has branches in Oconee County, Athens-Clarke County and Danielsville.

Rogers also has served as a deputy coroner under Carson.

Daniell, who indicated an interest in running for the BOC Chair position even before Davis announced his retirement, is an accountant who served on the Board of Education before being elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2008.

Daniell defeated incumbent Don Norris in the Republican primary in 2008 and was reelected in 2010 and again in 2014.

Daniell’s first term was only two years in duration because the county switched to staggered terms at that time.

1 comment:

Xardox said...

Competition is essential for citizens to accurately and knowledgeably judge candidates' positions and suitability for office.
It'll be interesting if Democrats will send a candidate or two to the fray for November.
Ain't we got fun?