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ZEBULON - The Pike County Commission has begun interviews to determine who our new county manager will be. Applications were accepted through the end of January with nothing being said during the Regular Called Meeting on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, but comments were made during the Tuesday, February 26, 2025 meetings to let the public that the process has begun.

During the 5 p.m. Special Called Meeting on February 26, Chairman Briar Johnson advised that the commissioners were going into executive session to begin their interviews for county manager. Interim County Manager / County Attorney Rob Morton did not go back into Executive Session while two candidates who were unknown to Pike County Times went into the back to speak with commissioners.

Protocol was followed with “an Executive Session for discussion or deliberation on the appointment, employment, compensation, hiring, disciplinary action or dismissal, or periodic evaluation or rating of a public officer or employee or interviewing applicants for the position of the executive head of an agency, as provided in O.C.G.A. § 50-14-3(b)(2), germane to personnel” per state law.

Commissioners came back into the room to end the Special Called Meeting and begin the Town Hall and Regular Called Meeting. They were greeted in Town Hall by Aaron Cudnohufsky, who identified himself as a candidate for County Manager. He advised that he had called the County Clerk that morning to inquire about the process for choosing a County Manager. He said that he has been given no notice on this process except when he called the office to inquire about it and has not received a rejection letter or call for an interview.

Cudnohufsky was told that the commissioners were narrowing down the candidates when he called the office. He asked how people were qualified and asked could something be given to the candidates who are not part of the final process. He also asked to be sure that the acting County Manager was not part of the process if he was a candidate as had been seen on social media.

Commissioners conducted the regular meeting with an Executive Session where they interviewed Interim County Manager Rob Morton and Planning and Zoning Director Jeremy Gilbert before coming back into Regular Session at 10:25 p.m. where Chairman Johnson made another statement to the public about the process for choosing a new county manager.

Johnson advised that the commissioners have started the process of interviewing for the county manager and that they will keep everybody abreast of what is going on in their interview process.

[Note from the Editor: Nothing has been said in a public meeting as to whether Morton is running for County Manager only and going to step down as County Attorney or whether Morton is applying for County Manager with a consideration by Commissioners that he be allowed to fill both county positions at once. Pike County Times is digging into this matter since there has been no mention of putting the County Attorney position out to bid, and there has been discussion of the possibility of Morton serving in both positions on social media and in the community over the past 6 to 9 months. At this time, there is no county in the State of Georgia with the same person serving as County Attorney and County Manager, but Gordon County has the same person serving as County Administrator and County Attorney. (It's similar though the Commissioners have more control over county business with an administrator than with a county manager form of government.) Look for more on this at a later time.]

Nothing further was said, but Pike County will abide by state law which mandates that they will choose up to three candidates as finalists and those who are chosen as finalists will be given the opportunity to pull their names from the final running before those finalists are announced.

The names and open records applicable documents such as their applications will be released 14 days prior to the final vote for the new County Manager. OCGA 50-18-72(11).

“BREAKING NEWS: Finalists for County Manager Announced” can be read in its entirety with no paywall at www.pikecountytimes.com/secondary/BREAKINGNEWScountymanagerfinalists3.12.25.html.

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