Candidate Withdraws From Roswell Special Election Race

ROSWELL, GA -- Voters in Roswell will have one less candidate to choose from in the upcoming special election to fill the vacant Post 4 seat on the City Council.

That's because Tracy Hanley has dropped her bid for the seat, which was vacated when Kent Igleheart resigned following his arrest on child sex charges.

Hanley, who works in the real estate industry, said she decided to launch her bid for the Roswell City Council because she wanted to make a contribution to the many issues facing the bustling city. She noted she's spent hours going door-to-door speaking with potential voters about the issues that matter to them.

"I was hoping that this could be a positive campaign, one focused on the issues that Roswell voters care about," she wrote on her Facebook page. "Unfortunately, it has become clear that some of my political opponents intend to try to take advantage of the fact that - like many people whose marriages have not worked out - I have been involved in divorce and custody proceedings. Rather than focusing on public policy issues that matter to Roswell, those individuals have decided to inject issues from my personal life into this campaign. Their decision to do that necessarily means that personal issues involving the lives of my three young children, and my family generally, will become fodder for negative campaigning. It would not be fair to them for me to allow that to occur."

These turn of events, she added, is the reason why she's made the choice to drop her bid. However, Hanley did say she intends to remain active in the city and "to do everything I can to continue to serve our citizens."

"I am very grateful to the many hundreds of people, including my campaign team and volunteers, who have supported me during this process," she added.

The race is now down to four candidates: Lori Henry, Shelley Sears, Marie Willsey and Shawn Wright. Jay Small, a member of the Roswell Recreation Commission, initially announced his plans to seek the seat, but suspended his campaign.

The special election will be held March 21, and a runoff -- if necessary -- is set for April 18.

Image via Patch