Johns Creek Council Member To Run For State House Seat

A member of the Johns Creek City Council has tossed her hat into the ring to run for the State House District 50 seat.

Kelly Stewart, Post 5 member of the council, said on Saturday she will run for the seat, which has been vacated due to the resignation of Lynne Riley. Riley on Friday was tapped by Gov. Nathan Deal to serve as the Department of Revenue commissioner.

Stewart said she will resign from her seat during the council’s next meeting, which is scheduled for Nov. 17.

“I have been proud to serve the citizens of Johns Creek since they first elected me to the City Council in 2010,” Stewart said. “I am excited about the opportunity to run for this seat and to continue to work for them as their voice in Atlanta.”

Stewart was previously appointed by Deal to serve on the Department of Juvenile Justice Board of Directors. She also serves on the Georgia Municipal Association’s Board of Directors.

At the federal level, Stewart worked on Capitol Hill in the U.S. House of Representatives, in the University System of Georgia and as a county administrator at the local level.

Stewart describes herself as a “lifelong conservative who believes in limited government and individual responsibility” and plans to “bring strong leadership, fiscal responsibility and her ability to build broad coalitions to work through complex issues to the Georgia House of Representatives.”

A Georgia native, Stewart received her master’s degree in city planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology with specializations in economic and land development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Brenau University and earned an associate’s degree in psychology from Gainesville College.

Photo credit: Kelly Stewart