Election season is beginning early in Stonecrest.
Because the city’s founding mayor, Jason Lary, resigned to plead guilty to federal fraud charges earlier this year, Stonecrest will hold a special election on May 24 to fill the rest of his term, which expires at the end of 2023. Candidates will have to qualify next week to have their names show up on ballots.
The qualifying period lasts from Monday through March 11. City Hall will accept candidate applications from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, while Friday’s hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. There’s also a $600 qualifying fee.
Any Stonecrest resident who has lived in the city since May 24, 2021, can qualify. The city charter limits its mayor and councilmembers to two consecutive, four-year terms. This means whoever wins — unless they are a current councilmember — can run again in 2024 and 2028 if they choose.
Councilwoman Jazzmin Cobble and former councilwoman Diane Adoma have declared they’ll run to replace Lary. Cobble will resign her post once she qualifies for the mayoral election, so another special election will be necessary to fill her District 3 council seat. Her term is set to expire in 2026.
Until a new mayor is elected, the mayor’s responsibilities will be handled by the mayor pro tem. Those duties include acting as the figurehead of the city and appointing members to boards and committees. The mayor votes only in the event of a tie — a rarity for a five-member City Council.
Residents will have until April 25 to register to vote in time for the mayoral special election. Early voting will be held from May 2 through May 20. Polls will be open on May 24 — the same day as the 2022 General Primary elections — from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For polling location information, visit your My Voter page at the Georgia Secretary of State’s website at mvp.sos.ga.gov.
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