The Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration is scheduled to hold a called meeting at 5 p.m. on Sept. 24 to hear a challenge to the candidacy of Hudson Holder for the Bishop Town Council.
Elizabeth Fontaine, 5071 Macon Highway, filed a complaint with the Board on Sept. 3 saying that Holder “does not seem to meet the eligibility requirements in the town’s charter” because “his home does not appear to be in the Town limits.”
Holder, who currently holds Post 3 on Council, filed his notice of candidacy for that position on Aug. 18, listing the address of his residence as 4611 Macon Highway and his postal address as 4631 Macon Highway.
Following the close of qualifications on Aug. 20, the Office of Elections and Registration listed two qualified candidates for Mayor and two qualified candidates for each of the four Council posts in Bishop and two candidates for Mayor in Watkinsville.
Bogart has qualified four candidates for its two council seats up for election, meaning elections will be held in Bishop, Bogart, and Watkinsville in November.
North High Shoals had three candidates qualify for three council seats, so no election will be held in that city.
At its Aug. 19 called meeting, the Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration voted to put a referendum for renewal of the Education Local Option Sales Tax on the Nov. 4 ballot for all of the county’s residents.
Voters across the county also will have the chance to vote in the statewide races for District 2 and District 3 on the Georgia Public Service Commission.
Bishop Contests
The Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration in March turned down the Application Petition of a group of Bishop residents that would have been the first step in initiating a recall election for the mayor and three members of the Bishop Council.
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The Elections Board said that Greg Montgomery, designated as the Petition Chairperson on the four Recall Application Petitions, was not a registered voter in Bishop and had not actually signed the petitions, as is required by law.
Jacob Spaulding, who picked up the application forms and returned them to the Oconee County Office of Elections and Registration, said following that decision that he and his colleagues had decided to end their recall efforts and would challenge the incumbents in November.
In qualifying last month, incumbent Mayor Drew Kurtz qualified, as did Joey Allen, for Mayor.
Post 1 Council Member Chuck Hadden qualified, as did Spaulding for Post 1.
Post 2 Council Member Deborah Lucas qualified, as did Alexander Schmidt for that seat. Schmidt had joined Spaulding in the petition drive.
Holder qualified for Post 3, as did Montgomery for Post 3.
Incumbent Mindy Porterfield qualified for post 4, as did Jeff Davis for that slot.
The recall had not been directed at Porterfield.
Bogart And Watkinsville
In Bogart, incumbents David Kilpatrick and Greg Maddox, qualified, as did Nathan Seagraves and Stephanie Stalnaker.
The Bogart Council does not have posts, and so all four candidates are running for two open slots, with the top two candidates joining the Council.
In Watkinsville, incumbent Mayor Brian Brodrick qualified for mayor, as did former mayor Bob Smith.
Post 1 Council Member Chuck Garrett and Post 2 Council Member Connie Massey qualified, but no other candidates qualified for those council seats.
Smith defeated incumbent Mayor Dave Shearon in 2019 but resigned on March 17 of 2021.
Council subsequently elected Post 1 Council Member Brodrick to serve as Acting Mayor.
In a special election in June of 2021, Brodrick was elected mayor, and Garrett was elected to Post 1 on Council.
Mayor and Council members in Watkinsville serve two year terms.
In Bishop and Bogart, terms of office are four years.
Bishop Qualification Challenge
Fontaine, in her Sept. 3 letter to the Board of Elections and Registration, said “It is troubling that the Board of Elections has qualified Mr. Hudson to run because he does not seem to meet the eligibility requirements in the town’s charter.”
“His home does not appear to be in the town limits which means he isn’t a resident,” she wrote.
“But even if it is determined that his home was in the town,” she continued, “he hasn’t paid taxes on his home in the town. Therefore he also isn’t eligible because the charter requires tax currentness.”
Qpublic, which the county stipulates is of “limited precision,” shows the 4631 property as wholly within the city limits but the 4611 property as outside the city limits.
Holder is listed as the co-owner of the 4631 property and sole owner of the 4611 property.
Procedures To Be Followed
Jennifer Stone, Assistant Director of Elections and Registration for Oconee County, said in an email on Sept. 16, said “Both parties will have the opportunity to appear, present evidence, and respond to the challenge at the hearing.”
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| Election Director Sharon Gregg, Stone 8/19/2025 |
“The public is not allowed to make public comment as this is not a regular called meeting,” she said.
Georgia law stipulates that either the challenger or the candidate challenged can appeal the decision of the Board in Oconee County Superior Court with 10 days of the final decision.
The hearing will be held at the Oconee County Administrative Building, 7635 Macon Highway, north of Watkinsville.
Qualification Documents, Bishop
In his Notice of Candidacy for Mayor, Kurtz listed his address as 5521 Price Mill Road, his age as 46, and his occupation as director of technology. He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia, of Oconee County, and of Bishop for eight consecutive years.
In his Notice of Candidacy for Mayor, Allen listed his address as 4981 Macon Highway, his age as 54, and his occupation as in between jobs. He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia, of Oconee County, and of Bishop for 12 consecutive years.
In his Notice of Candidacy for Post 1 Council Member, Hadden listed his address as 1151 Townside Lake Court, his age as 55, and his occupation as regional sales. He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia for 55 years, of Oconee County for 16 consecutive years, and of Bishop for 16 consecutive years.
In his Notice of Candidacy for Post 1 Council Member, Spaulding his address as 1020 Cemetery Road, his age as 33, and his occupation as analyst . He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia for 25 consecutive years, of Oconee County and of Bishop for one year.
In her Notice of Candidacy for Post 2 Council Member, Lucas listed her address as 1968 Townside Lake Court, her age as 60, and her occupation as pastor. She said she has been a legal resident of Georgia for 60 years, of Oconee County and of Bishop for 10 consecutive years.
In his Notice of Candidacy for Post 2 Council Member, Schmidt listed his address as 1936 Townside Drive, his age as 33, and his occupation as client growth manager. He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia for 14 years, of Oconee County and of Bishop for two consecutive years.
In his Notice of Candidacy for Post 3 Council Member, Holder listed his address as 4611 Macon Highway, his age as 39, and his occupation as real estate. He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia for 39 years, of Oconee County and of Bishop for four consecutive years.
In his Notice of Candidacy for Post 3 Council Member, Montgomery listed his address as 5470 Price Mill Road, his age as 60, and his occupation as Roll Off driver. He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia for 58 years, of Oconee County for 58 consecutive years, and of Bishop for 11consecutive years.
In her Notice of Candidacy for Post 4 Council Member, Porterfield listed her address as 1880 Townside Lake Court, her age as 52, and her occupation as research associate . She said she has been a legal resident of Georgia for 20 years, of Oconee County for 10 years, and of Bishop for 10 consecutive years.
In his Notice of Candidacy for Post 4 Council Member, Davis listed his address as 1070 Old Bishop Road, his age as 53, and his occupation as unspecified. He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia for 53 consecutive years, of Oconee County and of Bishop for 13 consecutive years.
Qualification Documents, Bogart, Watkinsville
In his Notice of Candidacy for Bogart Council, Kilpatrick listed his address as 108 West Thompson Street, his age as 76, and his occupation as retired. He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia for 76 years, of Oconee County and of Bogart for 31 consecutive years.
In his Notice of Candidacy for Bogart Council, Maddox listed his address as 145 Deerwood Court, his age as 64, and his occupation as memory care. He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia 60 years, of Clarke County and of Bogart for 10 consecutive years.
In his Notice of Candidacy for Bogart Council, Seagraves listed his address as 300 Osceola Ave., his age as 27, and his occupation as warehouse manager’driver . He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia, of Oconee County, and of Bogart for 27 consecutive years.
In her Notice of Candidacy for Bogart Council, Stalnaker listed her address as 140 Buttercup Lane, her age as 42, and her occupation as scientist. She said she has been a legal resident of Georgia for 20 years, of Oconee County and of Bogart for six consecutive years.
In his Notice of Candidacy for Mayor of Watkinsville, Brodrick listed his address as 117 South Main Street, his age as 50, and his occupation as marketing. He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia for 45 years, of Oconee County and of Watkinsville for 22 consecutive years.
In his Notice of Candidacy for Mayor of Watkinsville, Smith listed his address as 58 South Main Street, his age as 72, and his occupation as business. He said he has been a legal resident of Georgia for 72 years, of Oconee County for 45 consecutive years, and of Watkinsville for 10 consecutive years.
ELOST On Ballot
The Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration held its Aug. 19 meeting to respond to the request from the Oconee County Board of Education to put renewal of the Education Local Option Sales Tax (ELOST) on the Nov. 5 ballot.
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| Board Of Elections 8/19/2025 |
The current ELOST is set to expire at the end of 2027, or when it has generated $48.5 million in revenue.
The referendum, if approved by voters, would begin as soon as the current ELOST reaches that $48.5 million cap and continue the 1 percent tax for five years or until it reaches a cap of $86.8 million.
The Board of Education is expecting the current ELOST to reach its cap of $48.5 million by the end of 2026.
If the electorate were to turn down the ELOST referendum on Nov. 4, the Board of Education would be allowed to request that it be placed on the ballot in November of 2026, or before the current ELOST is expected to reach its cap.
Video
Harold Thompson, at my request, recorded the video below of the called meeting of the Board of Elections and Registration on Aug. 19.
The meeting took place in the Commission Chamber of the Oconee County Administrative Building.
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