Hoschton council member swaps posts

Hoschton City Council member Jim Cleveland will serve on the council through 2015 after he basically swapped elected posts.

Cleveland resigned his post 3 seat on Thursday (Feb. 7) and then qualified for the post 6 seat vacated by Mayor Theresa Kenerly before she qualified to run for mayor.

Cleveland won Kenerly’s seat by default because the only other person to qualify withdrew his name from consideration, city clerk Cindy George said.

D. Dwight DeLaPerriere qualified Wednesday and then withdrew his application on Friday, she said. George said two other men tried to qualify for the seat. But they did not live in the city limits.

The special election to fill Kenerly’s seat was cancelled and Cleveland won by default.

City attorney Thomas Mitchell told the council he did not expect a special election would be necessary to fill Cleveland’s post 3 seat, which is scheduled to be phased out at the end of the year as part of the city’s revised charter.

Cleveland’s new post, which will likely be changed in number, is the next one to be phased out after the term is exhausted in 2015, according to the revised charter.