CAIRO — A date for a special election will have to be set to determine who will fill the Grady County commission seat left vacant with the resignation of Commissioner TD David.

County Administrator Buddy Johnson said the county board of commissioners will have to select an appropriate time sometime this month to hold the election out of three possible dates.

Johnson said the election could be held as early as March, with two later possible dates in the summer and fall. The administrator said he preferred the earliest date possible, but stressed that a suitable amount of time will be needed for potential candidates to jump into the race.

If an election date is selected for much later in the year, such as November, Johnson said there was a possibility the seat could be temporarily filled by an appointed official in the interim.

Johnson said he hoped the commission wouldn’t have to take that step.

“I think we’re going to try to avoid making an appointment,” Johnson said. “Hopefully we can get an election done in March. That’s our best-case scenario right now.”

The term for the seat up for grabs, which technically began Jan. 1, will expire in four years. Whoever replaces David will serve the remainder of the term.

Once a date for the special election is set, interested candidates will have to qualify through the county probate court and pay a registration fee.

The first order of business for the four remaining commissioners, however, is to formally accept David’s letter of resignation at the next regularly scheduled meeting, Jan. 8. 

David, who had not been physically present at commission meetings since mid-October due to an unspecified illness he has combatted throughout the year, resigned Monday.

The former commissioner announced his plans to step down in a letter written by his family that was obtained by The Cairo Messenger, though an official resignation was not sent to the county until Dec. 31.

David’s resignation letter will now be sent to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office for official approval and guidance for the commission on how to proceed.

David, who served on the commission since 2011, recently won re-election to a third consecutive term in November. Due to his resignation, David will not serve a single day of the term.

“We’re going to certainly miss him because Mr. TD was a huge help to us,” Johnson said. “Considering his circumstances, I think he did what he feels is best for him and his family.”