Three people have qualified to run for the seat of former Henry County Commissioner Gary Barham, who died in March from complications of COVID-19.
Democrats Briana Clay and Sarita Dyer will face incumbent Republican Charles “Greg” Cannon in the June 15 special election. Barham, a Republican, had been the commissioner for District 3 since 2013 and spent 31 years working for the city of McDonough before his death.
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The race takes place as Henry, the second-fastest growing county in metro Atlanta, has shifted from a majority white, rural community to a majority-minority suburban stronghold. Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden won the county in the last two elections.
Cannon was appointed to fill Barham’s position in early April after a controversial law giving the party in control of a vacated seat — in this case Republicans — the right to name a temporary successor. The legislation was pushed through the General Assembly’s 2021 session by Sen. Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur.
The move angered three of the four Democrats on the six-member commission. The Democratic members argued that the seat should have been left open until the special election.
Cannon is Henry County’s former coroner and co-owner and CEO of Cannon Cleveland Funeral Directors in McDonough. Clay is an administrative assistant, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, while Dyer is retired from the military.
