Campaign 2010: Dalton, Varnell to hold special election for councils

Published 10:47 pm Saturday, April 24, 2010

Local cities typically hold their elections in odd-numbered years. But a couple of resignations have led Dalton and Varnell to hold special elections on July 20, along with the general primaries, to fill a couple of seats.

Both races will be nonpartisan.

Dalton will hold a special election to fill the Ward 4 seat. Ward 4 is essentially that part of Dalton south of Walnut Avenue.

Charlie Bethel, who was re-elected to the Ward 4 seat in November, stepped down in March. Bethel plans to run for state Senate District 54. That seat is being vacated by the retiring Dr. Don Thomas.

Dalton businessman Gary Crews has already announced his candidacy in the race to fill the unexpired portion of Bethel’s term, which ends in 2013. Crews is currently chairman of the Whitfield County Republican Party.

Crews has lived in Dalton for 30 years and is the practice manager for MedNow and a Realtor for Century 21 Belk.

“I’ve been involved in several campaigns, but this is the first time I’ve actually run myself,” Crews said when announcing his candidacy earlier this year.

Crews applauded the City Council’s efforts to cut taxes and said he would continue to look for ways to help the city save money. He said further consolidation of city and county services may not be necessary, but continued cooperation is a must.

No other candidates have publicly announced they will run for that seat so far.

In Varnell, businessman Allan Pippin says he will run for Seat 3, which was vacated by Thomas Burnett in December after moving out of the city. Varnell City Council seats are citywide seats. The unexpired term for that post ends in 2011.

Pippin is the owner of Pippin Insurance and has lived in Varnell since 2001.

“I really appreciate the things that have happened in Varnell the last couple of years. I’ve seen a lot of progress, and I want to offer my assistance to help continue that progress, to help make Varnell a better place to live,” he said.

Qualifying for the Dalton special election will be in City Hall at the clerk’s office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The qualifying fee is $360.

Qualifying in Varnell will be at City Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. The qualifying fee is $35.