Three candidates are vying for the Fayette County Commission District 5 seat left vacant by the July 3 death of Pota Coston.
The special election will be held Sept. 15. Early voting is already underway and ends Friday.
The seat recently became a point of controversy when county officials said the seat would be filled using at-large, or countywide, voting. But NAACP officials balked at the idea. Fayette has been in a four-year fight with the civil rights organization and a group of black residents who say at-large voting is discriminatory and keeps black people from being able to fully participate in the political process in Fayette. The NAACP went to court to force the county to use district voting, the method used last year to elect Coston. A judge recently ruled that district voting would be used to decide Coston’s successor. But the issue of how Fayette elects its county leaders is far from settled. The two sides will present their argument about at-large voting in court Nov. 16.
In the meantime, here's a brief look at the District 5 candidates:
Angela Bean
Age: 58
Residence: Fayetteville
Job: Independent graphic artist
Political affiliation: Republican
Reason for running: “I am a 32-year resident of north Fayette County with a long history of community involvement and also a proven champion for good government. I felt it was time to run for this position to better serve my fellow citizens.”
Details: www.angelabeanforcommissioner.org
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Peyton Riley
Age: 48
Residence: Fayetteville
Job: Sells insurance and investments for Dyche Wealth Management in Fayetteville.
Political affiliation: Signed up with the Republican party shortly after he qualified to run for office.
Reason for running: “I’ve lived in this community for 16 years, and I want to make sure the growth of the community is done in a smart way by attracting businesses that would bring back our children who were educated in this county and enable them to put down roots in this county.”
Details:
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Charles D. Rousseau
Age: 54
Residence: the northeastern part of unincorporated Fayette County
Job: Retired assistant director administration in the Fulton County Government General Services Department. Does occasional consulting work involving branding and program oversight and compliance-related issues.
Political affiliation: Democrat
Reason for running: “I want to provide a higher level of service to residents of the county. Those services include enhance senior citizen services, recreational amenities and services. I also want to insure public safety-related issues stay high and visiblity stays high in our neighborhoods. I also want to help attract new economic development.”
Details: http://rousseaudistrict5.com
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