JASPER, Tenn. – Marion County commissioners will have to follow a somewhat different path in appointing a new road superintendent than they did when selecting John Graham as the county’s new mayor.
Graham resigned as road superintendent in December so he could take over as mayor, and now county leaders must find a qualified replacement.
“There is a significant difference in appointing someone to this office because there are some qualification requirements that apply to this position,” Marion County Attorney Billy Gouger said.
Officials said Randy Stamps, who is a specialist with the state elections office, provided county leaders with the qualifications and rules to follow when a person submits his or her name for consideration.
“Basically, anybody interested in applying for this position has to submit an affidavit and a statement of qualifications to a state board that’s part of the state election office,” Gouger said. “Those individuals have to receive approval from that board before they are eligible for appointment by [the County Commission].”
A complete list of the required qualifications for county road superintendent is available at the county mayor’s office, Gouger said.
Commission Chairman Gene Hargis said county administrators had 120 days from the time Graham resigned to appoint a replacement, but he thought waiting until March to do so would give plenty of time for qualified applicants to be approved.
“My only concern would be if we tried to make the appointment in February, we might not have everyone’s paperwork back,” he said. “Then they’d cry harm or foul, and it would be a big mess. If we wait until March, there would be no harm and we would still be within the 120-day limit.”
“I don’t think it should take very long for the state board to review the qualifications of anybody that wants to submit their name,” Gouger said. “Most of that information is disseminated electronically now, but they have to have that certificate of qualification before they can be considered.”
Commissioners decided to go ahead and advertise the position so the qualification process could begin, but they will not make a selection until their meeting on March 28.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com