John Thomas will fill the vacant seat on the Whitfield County Commission after defeating Shane Day in Tuesday's runoff election.
Thomas received 53% of the vote Tuesday for the District 3 seat in an election that saw less than a 10% turnout rate.
Thomas is the co-owner of Coldwell Banker Kinard Realty and serves on the Whitfield County Planning Commission and the Dalton Whitfield County Hospital Authority. He had previously served on the Whitfield County school board from 2007 to 2010.
He will fill the rest of Roger Crossen's term, which expires Dec. 31, 2022. Crossen died in November due to complications of COVID-19.
Thomas ran on a platform of reducing taxes, wise spending and supporting first responders in the county.
County Administrator Mark Gibson said in December that if the remainder of Crossen's term had been less than 12 months, the other commissioners could have appointed someone to fill it.
"Because the remainder of the term is greater than 12 months, a call for a special election will be done," Gibson said. "The seat will remain empty until the election is held."
Thomas will represent District 3 in the northwest part of the county.
Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.