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Josh Turner
White County native Josh Turner plans to run for Cleveland mayor.
He made a formal announcement Tuesday, Jan. 14., with qualifying for the special election set to begin in about two weeks.
“I love my hometown. I’m invested in Cleveland’s success and I want it to be all it can be. As a community, we have so much to offer such as great schools, good quality of life, a growing downtown, and a low crime rate,” Turner said. “However, we have to be working now to plan for our future. I’m ready to put in the hard work for the next generation and I look forward to working with the City Council to provide greater economic opportunities. I want my kids and those growing up in Cleveland to have better opportunities and more choices for successful career paths.”
Turner, 33, has been employed by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety for the past nine years, where he serves as the director of the Georgia Driver’s Education Commission. In that role, he says he is responsible for budgeting, planning, and executing the operations of the Commission.
Turner is a White County High School graduate, and he has a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Georgia.
Turner says he has been active in the community for many years, previously serving on the Enotah CASA board of directors and as a member of the White County Development Authority and White County Rotary Club. He also notes that he is a former chairman of the White County Republican Party and was a delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention.
Turner and his wife, Lacy, have two children, a 5-year-old kindergartner in White County Schools and an 11-month-old. The Turners are active members of Concord Baptist Church.
Cleveland plans to hold a special election on Tuesday, March 24, to choose a successor to Shan Ash, who resigned the post Dec. 30 as he was set to begin his second term as mayor.
The qualifying period for mayoral candidates will be Monday, Jan. 27, through Wednesday, Jan. 29, held at Cleveland City Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. There is a $138 qualifying fee.
Early voting for the special election will be held from March 2 to March 20 at Cleveland City Hall during regular business hours. Election Day voting will take place March 24 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the First Baptist Church fellowship hall at 25 Church Street in Cleveland.
For those not already registered to vote, the deadline to register in time for the special election is Monday, Feb. 24, by 5 p.m. at the White County Board of Elections and Registration, 1241 Helen Highway, Suite 210-A, in Cleveland.
For more information on local positions up for election in 2020, click here.