After announcing that he would be retiring soon from office, Blairsville Mayor Jim Conley received a round of applause from attendees of the Feb. 11 regular city meeting in recognition for all he has done during his five consecutive terms leading the city.
People wanting to wish Conley well should drop in to see him at the retirement party being held in his honor on Saturday, Feb. 22, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. inside the Brackett Room of United Community Bank at 177 GA-515 W. Refreshments will be provided.
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Conley will finish out the month before retiring on Feb. 28 with 26.5 years of service as an elected official, after which Councilman Robert “Buddy” Moore will be sworn in as the new mayor to finish the 10 months left on Conley’s term ending Dec. 31 of this year.
Moore is the longtime mayor pro tempore on the City Council and the natural successor to fill an unexpired mayoral term.
The outgoing mayor described Moore as “a person whose heart I know is right for the city,” and at Conley’s request, the council voted to appoint Moore as the next mayor, effective March 1.
“I just know that it’s time for me to let somebody else run the city,” said Conley, 84, following his last regular meeting as mayor. “I feel like I’ve made the right decision.
“Buddy has been our mayor pro tem for quite some time now, and he’s got a little over 15 years of service as a council member. So, the city will be in good hands.”
For his part, Moore said he greatly appreciates the mayor’s hard work over the years and that he has learned a lot from him in the time he has served on the council.
“I’m not going to attempt to fill his shoes – I’m just going to be me,” Moore said. “Now, y’all know me, I’m completely imperfect, but my heart is into the city, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
To ensure there is no gap on the council following the transition, Moore asked that Blairsville resident Brock Gordon be appointed to fill the remainder of his council term, starting in March and running through Dec. 31, 2025, and the council voted to do so.
“I teach U.S. History at the High School, I’ve been there for nine years now,” Gordon said when called to speak in the meeting. “(I’m) a lifelong Union County resident, so I just appreciate the opportunity.”
Gordon said he and Moore are neighbors and have discussed the goings-on of the city for years. When Moore learned that Conley would be retiring, he asked if Gordon would be interested in filling the rest of his council term, and Gordon said yes.
The new councilman looks forward to learning the ropes this year and working with the rest of the council for the continued betterment of the city.
Blairsville’s city charter allows for such appointments “if less than 24 months remain in the unexpired term” of an outgoing mayor or councilman, which applies for both of these appointments, City Attorney Marvin Harkins said.
2025 is a regular election year for the office of mayor and two council seats, the latter currently being held by Moore – soon to be Gordon – and Tony Dyer.
That evening, the council set the qualifying fees for these offices at $1,080 for Mayor and $162 per Council seat, which is 3% of the previous year’s salary for each office.
Qualifying for the 2025 Municipal General Election will take place Aug. 18-20 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Qualifying packets can be picked up starting Aug. 1 at City Hall, located at 62 Blue Ridge Street.
The Blairsville election will be held on Nov. 4 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at City Hall. The candidates who win will be sworn into four-year terms that begin on Jan. 1, 2026, and run through Dec. 31, 2029.
Also in the Feb. 11 meeting, the council completed some unfinished business by conditionally accepting the infrastructure built by Crossing Creek RV Resort to provide city sewer services to the neighborhood.
The conditional acceptance includes the completion of a few minor “punch list” items to wrap up construction on the project, plus the receipt of a maintenance bond that had been issued but was awaiting paperwork delivery to the city.
Having a bond in place ensures that the city is financially covered for the next year should any maintenance issues arise with the recently built infrastructure, after which maintenance and upkeep will be the city’s responsibility in full.
Among new business, the council approved a resolution to amend the city’s Master Fee Schedule to add some new community hangar fees at the Blairsville Airport as well as to incorporate the city’s alcohol fees as matching the updated alcohol fee schedule of Union County Government.
Council members approved a $7,500 agreement with the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission to develop a City of Blairsville Downtown Master Plan, as outlined by Downtown Development Authority Director Kristen Bentley in the meeting.
Speaking of the Blairsville DDA, the council voted to approve the appointment of Daniel Davenport to the DDA Board. Davenport has served on the DDA Board in the past.
The Blairsville City Council meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. inside City Hall.
