Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed former Hapeville City Councilman Mike Rast to fill the alderman-at-large seat that became vacant after the conviction of councilwoman Ruth Barr.

Barr was found guilty of conning a dying Gwinnett relative, sentenced to five years in prison and suspended from the council seat.

Rast served on the Hapeville City Council from 1993 to 2001. His work background also includes Hapeville city administrator and facilities management consultant to the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Rast served on a joint task force with officials from Georgia’s Department of Economic Development to come up with a strategy for retention of the Ford Motor Assembly Plant.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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