Qualifying begins Monday for three Albany City Commission seats

ALBANY — A summer runoff in a special election for a Dougherty County School Board seat brought less than 7 percent of eligible voters to the polls. But with half of the Albany City Commission seats up for grabs, those contests should bring more excitement in the fall.

Qualifying for commission Wards II, III and V will run Monday through Friday in seats held, respectively, by Commissioners Matt Fuller, B.J. Fletcher and Bob Langstaff.

“We’re going to be prepared with our packets like we always are so we can serve candidates filling out their paperwork with us,” Dougherty County Elections Supervisor Ginger Nickerson said.

Qualifying will run from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day next week in Suite 220 of the Dougherty County Government Center.

The qualifying fee is $450. If only one candidate qualifies for a seat, no election will be necessary in that ward.

“If there is no opposition, that candidate is assumed to vote for themself, so the precincts in that ward would not be required to be open (on Election Day),” Nickerson said.

So far two candidates, former Commissioner Bobby Coleman and Jalen Johnson, have announced as candidates in Ward II. Fuller told The Albany Herald he will announce his decision on running for a second term early next week.

The Nov. 2 election should bring out more than the anemic 6.6 percent of registered voters who cast ballots in a July special election runoff to fill the unexpired term of former school board member Milton “June Bug” Griffin, who died in February.

File Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]