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With qualifying for city councils under way throughout the county, people are already throwing their hats into races for their cities.
The City of Winder already has had four people come forward to qualify for the open positions in the city council.
Incumbent James (Sonny) Morris has come forward to try to retain his Ward 1 position.
"It’s been an honor and privilege to serve," said Morris, who has been a councilman for 23 years.
"I’ll serve all the citizens in Winder to the best of my ability," he said, "with honesty and trust."
Winder resident Bob Dixon has made it known he would like the At Large chair in the council, going up against incumbent Mike Mingus, who also has qualified for the race.
Dixon submitted a letter to the Barrow County News regarding his candidacy, inviting them to visit his campaign office at 13 W. Candler St.
"My desire is to obtain positive feedback and future directions from you as we plan for the tremendous growth and economic opportunities within our city," he wrote.
Dixon has previously served 26 years on the Barrow County Board of Education.
For Mingus, who has served as a city councilman for 20 of the last 22 years, working for Winder is an enjoyable experience.
"I enjoy it very much," he said. "I like working with people; I like helping people."
His philosophy has not changed.
"I’ve been active, open-minded and available," he said.
He directed voters to his Web site, www.mikemingus.com for more information.
Also, James Ridley Parrish has qualified to be re-elected in the Ward 3 seat.
Parrish, who has served as an elected official for 17 years, said he was looking forward to continuing to work with all the government entities.
"I can hopefully continue to help Winder grow in the right manner, the quality manner," he said, "[and] make Winder and Barrow County a better place to live."Mingus said that between the three incumbents — Morris, Parrish and himself — they have more than 30 years experience on the council.
"We’re a great team," he said.
In other Barrow cities, qualifying is also taking place.
In Statham, six people already have qualified, according to City Clerk Susan Gabriel.
Jeremiah Bennett, David Huth, Susan Martin and Terry Tripp are newcomers to the scene, and incumbents Betty Lyle and Gayle Steed already have qualified.
As of the close of qualifying on Tuesday with additional days remaining to get in the races, two of three Braselton seats will feature challengers.
William (Bill) Orr and Ralph Richardson Jr., both qualified for the mayoral race.
For the Braselton Town Council District 2 seat, William (Bill) Greene and Peggy B. Slappey plan to run for the post, which is currently held by Richardson. Dudley Ray of Braselton qualified to run for re-election for his District 4 town council seat.
In Hoschton, Jim Jester, currently the Post 2 city councilman, qualified for the mayoral race.
Hoschton resident Jim Cleveland has qualified to run for Post 3 on the Hoschton City Council, which is currently held by John Schulte.
For the rest of Barrow’s cities, qualifying packets are ready and waiting for the first person to step forward.
Auburn has not had anyone qualify yet, but continues to accept qualifying candidates through Sept. 4.
The Town of Carl has not yet had anyone qualify for its open seats, according to clerk Danielle Chatham.
Bethlehem’s qualifying does not begin until today, and will run through Friday.
— Claire Miller, editor of The Paper, contributed to this article
