Republican Lee Helton, an East Brainerd resident and son of a local state representative, has entered the race for the new Hamilton County Commission District 7 seat.
Helton, 42, who already has returned his qualifying petitions, will face off with Republican Jonathan Mason if he also returns his petitions by the Feb. 17 deadline. Helton is the son of state Rep. Esther Helton, R-East Ridge, who also is an East Ridge City Council member.
“I’ve started and raised my family here,” Lee Helton said during a Thursday phone interview. “I do a lot of work around here, and I want to continue to improve the community. We live in a great area, and we’ve had good leadership prior – I just want to continue that.”
(READ MORE: Hamilton County Commission chair Sabrena Smedley announces 2022 mayoral run)
Helton said having a mother as a state politician has been encouraging because he has seen how it’s possible to make a tangible, positive impact on the community.