The choice has been made, and now there is a full board again for the Polk County Commission.
Commissioners gathered early Thursday evening for a 5 p.m. special called session to decide upon their choice, and after coming out of an executive session to start the meeting they nominated Jordan Hubbard to take up the seat through year’s end.
Hubbard, along with candidates Jose Iglesias and Janet Jolly Edwards were in attendance for the Thursday session to hear the decision of the County Commission. Four of the other candidates – Andrew Carter, Deborah Connelly, Derinda Stephens and James Vines – were also up for consideration of the post.
An appointment with a Probate Judge to be sworn in for service will be forthcoming for Hubbard. His first meeting will come next month at the Tuesday, March 5 session.
Hubbard, a two-term Cedartown City Commissioner who stepped down before he moved from the city limits out into the county, gets back into politics for the first time in a half-dozen years with the hope of bringing his past experience as an elected official to bear immediately.
That was the hope of the County Commissioners who approved him unanimously to the board as well.
“It is fortunate as a commission that we have so many who are interested and qualified for the position,” Commission Chair Hal Floyd said.
Commissioner Ray Carter added the appointment is temporary, and in no way was an endorsement for his candidacy for the seat in the future.
“We needed someone who could hit the ground running with knowledge and experience of what we have to do, especially during a budget cycle that we have coming up,” Carter added.
The decision was unanimous, but not the choice. Commissioner Linda Liles noted before the vote that she was giving Hubbard the nod but only because the others were voting in a block.
“This was not my first choice, but I’m going with the consensus of the board,” she said.
Due to a scheduling conflict, Polk Today was unable to speak to Hubbard following the meeting and he was unavailable this evening for immediate comment. Check back for additional thoughts from the new commissioner on Friday.
All of the commissioners thanked the candidates for volunteering for the opportunity to join the board by appointment, and noted that it showed their dedication toward public service and commended that virtue.
The Commission did go into an executive session noting it as a personnel matter, but had no decisions on the agenda at the time they announced their reason to go into a closed session. Commissioners are not classified as employees but are elected officials, though they do receive a salary, benefits and insurance coverage for their service. Retirement kicks in after two successful terms in office.
Of note, the vote also included the commission chair, whose yea was recorded for the minutes as well.
Commissioners also took up a few other items during the session, including approval of seeking grants for Polk County Fire and Rescue for nozzles for firefight and radios, and a new line of sight request for the airport.
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