Franklin, Weatherly voted in as council members
The Town of Tallulah Falls had a mayoral and two council member seats up for grabs on Tuesday, Nov. 7 as 43.45 percent of voters, 73 out of 168 registered to vote in Tallulah Falls, turned out to the ballot box.
Voters also made decisions about alcohol sales on Sunday.
Incumbent Mike Early was re-elected as mayor with 51 votes. Dan A. Hayes received 18 votes and Paul Marsteller received four votes.
For Tallulah Falls councilperson, voters chose two out of three candidates to take two seats on the council. Incumbent Craig Weatherly received 54 votes. Candidate Jimmy Franklin received the second highest number of votes with 51. Incumbent Joey Fountain received 30 total votes.
“I’m honored and grateful to the folks of Tallulah Falls who voted,” Franklin told The Clayton Tribune following Tuesday’s election.
Franklin said he is looking forward to serving the Town of Tallulah Falls as a council member.
Fountain declined to comment.
Tallulah Falls will see Gerald Michael Urpschot as a council member as well as he qualified to fill the unexpired term of Tommy Tilley, which expires in December 2025. No special election was held for Tilley’s council seat because Urpschot was the only one who qualified.
Tallulah Falls voters also decided in favor of Sunday package sales and sales by the drink in a special election.
The question about Sunday Package Sales read on the ballot, “Shall the governing authority of the Town of Tallulah Falls, Georgia, be authorized to permit and regulate package sales of both malt beverages and wine on Sundays between the hours of 12:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.?”
The vote was 54 to 19 in favor of passage.
The question about Sunday Sales by the Drink read, “Shall the governing authority of the Town of Tallulah Falls, Georgia, be authorized to permit and regulate Sunday sales of wine and malt beverages for beverage purposes by the drink?”
The vote was again 54-19 in favor.
Mayor Mike Early and Council Member Craig Weatherly did not immediately return calls made by The Clayton Tribune for requests for comment as of press time Wednesday.