Published: October 31, 2009 09:42 pm      

Elections set for Tuesday

With no national, state or county races on the ballot, most of the action in Tuesday’s elections in Murray and Whitfield counties will take place in the area’s smaller cities.

Voters in Chatsworth, Cohutta, Eton and Varnell will go to the polls on Tuesday to decide several City Council and mayor races. The races in Chatsworth and Cohutta will pit long-time incumbents against younger challengers, while the Varnell mayor’s race is a partial repeat of last year’s special election to fill that seat, with Mayor Dan Peeples facing one of the men he defeated in that race, Bill Morgan.

Voters in Chatsworth will also vote on a “freeport” referendum to exempt some types of inventory from property taxes.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in each city.

• Chatsworth: Incumbent Margaret Adams, who was first elected in 1973, will face Celeste Martin and Michael Ray for Post 1 on the City Council. Adams taught 32 years in the Middleboro, Ky., and Murray County school systems and coached tennis at Murray County High School. Martin spent five years as an accountant in the carpet industry and now teaches in Dalton Public Schools. Ray owns Ray Motor Co.

Voters will also cast ballots on the freeport measure that supporters say will help attract and keep businesses in the city.

There will be three questions on the ballot regarding exempting freeport: a manufacturer’s raw materials and goods-in-process; a manufacturer’s finished goods; and finished goods held for out-of-state shipment. Voters will be able to say “yes” or “no” to each question.

Voting will take place in City Hall.

• Cohutta: Incumbent Don Henderson, who has served as mayor since 1969, will face Wesley Mahan in the race for mayor. Henderson owns and operates a family farm. Mahan is currently serving in the National Guard in Afghanistan.

Voting will take place in the Town Hall.

• Eton: Incumbent Steve Shaw, who was first elected in 2000, faces Donna Hogan in the race for Post 2. Shaw is a certified electrician, welder and mechanic who is the co-owner of Corner Service Center in Chatsworth. Hogan, wife of Greg Hogan, a former mayor, said she wants to see more business come to Eton but doesn’t want the city to lose its small-town feel.

Voting will take place in City Hall.

• Varnell: Incumbent Dan Peeples, who was elected last year to fill the unexpired term of Lindsey Metcalf, faces former Varnell chief probation officer Bill Morgan in the race for mayor. Peeples is vice president of Julian Peeples Funeral Home and president of Peeples Monument Services. Morgan currently operates Billsco Sales Inc., which deals in military surplus and outdoor equipment.

Incumbent Carlus Mosier faces James Caldwell and Laura Hammontree in the race for Post 1. Mosier is retired from Shaw Industries as a creeler maintenance technician after almost 34 years. Caldwell is an architectural sales representative with Allstate Rubber Flooring. Hammontree has owned and been stylist at Hair Styles and Tan Salon in Varnell for the past six years. She is also a certified nursing assistant who provides home health care.

Brent Newsome and Harveyleen Rollins face each other in the race for Post 2. Susan Hamlin, who currently holds the post, is not seeking re-election.

Newsome is an information technology manager with Marketing Alliance Group and also owns a small IT business, InventureIT. Rollins, a former member of the City Council, has worked in the Varnell post office for 40 years.

Voting will take place in the city gym.