Longtime PTA Advocate To Run For Cherokee BOE Seat

WOODSTOCK, GA — Another Cherokee County School Board seat will be a competitive race in the upcoming May 22 Republican primary. Donna Kosicki qualified on Wednesday, March 7 to challenge incumbent Rick Steiner for the District 4 seat, which covers parts of Towne Lake and southwest Cherokee County.

Kosicki, a longtime advocate with the Georgia PTA who serves as the organization's Family Engagement Committee chairperson, made the announcement on Facebook, adding she was looking forward to talking with as many people as she could about why she decided to enter politics (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here).

Steiner, who qualified earlier this week to run for re-election, was first appointed to the board in November 2005 to fill a vacancy. He won the election to the seat in 2006 and was re-elected in 2010 and 2014. Fellow School board member Republican Mike Chapman of District 6 will face challenger Scott Phillips in the Republican primary. School board members John Harmon of District 3 and Clark Menard of District 5 have also qualified to run for re-election in the Republican primary.

Other contested races in Cherokee County include the race to replace retiring Cherokee County Commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens. Former District 1 Commissioner Harry Johnston and Stanley Townsend are both seeking the Republican nomination for the seat and as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, no Democratic candidates have stepped forward to qualify.

Cherokee County District 4 Commissioner Scott Gordon will not seek re-election, and two challengers have stepped forward to succeed the Woodstock resident. Republicans Steve Divine and Corey Ragsdale have each qualified to run for the seat, which covers the southwest quadrant of Cherokee.

District 1 Commissioner Steve West has qualified to seek another four-year term for the seat, which represents the northern half of Cherokee. Cherokee County State Court Judge Alan Jordan has qualified to seek another four-year term while Solicitor General of Cherokee County candidates Sarah Hobson and Todd Hayes, both Republicans, have formally entered that race to replace retiring incumbent Jessica Moss. As of Wednesday, neither West nor Jordan have any challengers for their races.

Cherokee County Juvenile Court Judge Tony Baker has qualified to seek the Superior Court of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit seat held by retiring Judge Jackson Harris.

At the state level, incumbent Republican State Senators Bruce Thompson and Brandon Beach of Alpharetta have qualified for re-election for the District 14 and 21 seats, respectively. Thompson will face Democratic challenger Rachel Kinsey in the Nov. 6 general election while Beach does not have any opposition as of Wednesday evening.

State Senator John Albers of District 56, the incumbent Republican, has also qualified for re-election. Democrats Patrick Thompson, Ellyn Jeager and Jim Guess, Jr. are also in the running for the May 22 primary.

Republican State Reps. Michael Caldwell of District 20, Scot Turner of District 21 and Mandi Ballinger of District 23 have qualified and currently face no opposition. The same can't be said for District 22 incumbent Wes Cantrell and John Carson, the incumbent Republican for District 46. Cantrell will face a challenge from Democrat Charles Ravenscraft while Carson have to fight off a bid from Karin Sandiford, who is also a Democrat.

The 11th Congressional District will see incumbent Republican Barry Loudermilk of Cassville contending with Democrat Flynn Broady Jr. The 11th Congressional District includes Bartow, Cherokee and parts of Cobb and north Fulton County.

Qualifying continues 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 8 and from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, March 9.

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