Rob Usher To Run For Woodstock City Council

A familiar figure around Woodstock and Cherokee County who recently left one form of public service has announced his plans to enter another.

Former Cherokee County School Board member Rob Usher said he will seek the vacant Ward 6 seat on the Woodstock City Council. Usher is vying to succeed Tessa Basford, who passed away in October following a long battle with cancer.

Qualifying for the race starts next week in the city clerk’s office at the City Annex, which is at 12453 Highway 92.

Potential candidates can qualify from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14 and Thursday, Jan. 15 and 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16. The fee to quality is $270.

The special election will be held 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 and a runoff, if needed, is tentatively scheduled for April 21. The chosen candidate will serve out Basford’s unexpired term, which ends Dec. 31.

Usher, 50, said he initially wanted to run for the Ward 6 seat in 2010 when former Council member Steve Faris resigned. At that time, however, he could not run, as he did not reside in Ward 6. 

Basford ran and won the 2010 special election to fill the seat and was re-elected to a full term in 2011. Usher described Basford as a ”very good friend” who served as an “outstanding” council member.

“Now that I am once again within the boundary lines of Ward 6, and with my term as School Board member complete, and with the untimely loss of Tessa’s representation, I felt compelled to run for this seat,” he added.

Woodstock is not only performing well, but also serving its citizens “better than most cities in our area,” Usher stated. If elected, he said he plans to continue to support existing and future projects ”that will continue to make Woodstock a great place to live, work and play.”

Touting himself as a “common sense conservative,” Usher said that while he does not see himself as a politician, he believes his service on the School Board has been both rewarding and informative.

“Working with the other board members and the school district’s staff to make and improve policies is very similar to serving as a City Council member,” he said. “I feel I can bring both experience and fresh ideas to the Council.”

Usher added he also believes his professional experience and service in the community will also help him adequately serve Ward 6 citizens and the larger Woodstock community.

Usher, an account executive with Technical Sales at Graphic Packaging International, has lived in Woodstock for 18 years.

Along with his school board service, Usher has previously served as vice chairman of Woodstock’s Urban Redevelopment Agency and as a member of the Cherokee Comprehensive Land Use Committee, Woodstock’s Impact Fee Committee, the city’s Board of Ethics, Carmel Elementary School PTA and Deer Run HOA Board of Directors. He’s also chaired both Deer Run HOA’s Architectural Control and Tennis committees.

Usher and wife Pam have two daughters, Meagan Usher and Kimberly Smith.

What Should You Read Next?

• Three Cherokee School Board Members Bid Farewell
• Tessa Basford, Woodstock City Council Member, Passes Away
• Woodstock Leaders Remember Tessa Basford As Model Public Servant