We know of at least one candidate that is not running for the Special Election seat on the Watkinsville City Council

Oconee County Republican leader Jay Hanley, who may indeed be the youngest party county party chair in the state of Georgia, declined to resign his dream gig as Chair of the local GOP to run for the non-partisan Post 3 slot Joe Walter is giving up on the City Council to become Mayor.

"I will not be a candidate (for the Watkinsville City Council at this time)," wrote Hanley in an email earlier this evening. "While I don't rule out a future run for public office in the City of Watkinsville or Oconee County, my political focus right now will be the Chairmanship of the Oconee County Republican Party."

While I have not attended either of the recent meetings, I must give massive props to Jay for having the political acumen to schedule a series of strong speakers with free food and advertising in the local media to keep attention focused on the majority party in Oconee at the Watkinsville Town Hall exactly opposite of the Oconee County Democratic Committee meetings. Actually the Republicans had their time and date scheduled settled long before the Democrats switched locally. Democratic chair Jonathan Veit jogged through my neighborhood this evening, and I did not have the chance to get a comment from him as I was weed-edging while not chatting with the neighbors about an automobile break-in across the street from my home in Morgan Manor Estates.

Speculation and urging to run for that city council slot had ostensibly come to fellow Morgan Manor Estates resident and Oconee Enterprise General Manager Maridee Williams  but she declined due to potential conflict of interest. Other guesses included Luke Bishop, but he has supposedly moved out of the city limits. His father (uncle?) was instrumental in getting the sewer substation recently installed to put most of industrial South Watkinsville on the sanitary sewer in a public-private partnership which was a win-win for everybody involved.

Other lesser known (to me at least) names have been bandied about, and until I hear an aye, nay or maybe directly from them, I should best leave their stone unturned at this point. 

Any guesses or speculations or nominations are welcomed in the comments? 

Bueller? 

Bueller? 

Bueller?


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