City Council conducts first-of-year business

Blairsville Mayor Robert “Buddy” Moore and Councilmen Tony Dyer and Brock Gordon qualified unopposed for their respective seats last year, and City Attorney Marvin Harkins administered their oaths of office last week for each to start new four-year terms.

Moore has been elected five times in the city after getting his start in local politics in 2009 via a brief appointment to the council, after which he won four consecutive council terms outright.

Last February, longtime mayor Jim Conley announced he would be stepping down from office with just under a year left in his term. The council appointed Moore mayor at Conley’s recommendation, so this is his first elective term leading City Hall.

As mayor, Moore has said he will be working to serve the daily needs of residents while keeping taxes low, with particular areas of interest being the promotion of a thriving local economy and improved infrastructure, such as “water line upgrades, traffic improvements and safety on the roads, walkability including lighting, and housing.”

Councilman Dyer first won election in 2010 to fill the remainder of an unexpired council term that ended December 2013, and he has now won five city elections and four full council terms in office.

Dyer looks forward to continuing his public service and hopes to increase walkability with additional sidewalks around town. As previously reported, he also wants to revisit his idea of responsibly enlarging city limits, and he would like to grow public engagement to make sure the next generation of city leaders is ready when the time comes.

As for Councilman Gordon, he was appointed last March to fill Moore’s remaining council term after he stepped up to serve as mayor. Gordon’s initial interest in City Hall came by way of a conversation with Moore, his neighbor and friend, and he is excited to begin his first full term.

Gordon shares many of the same goals as his fellow councilmen and Mayor Moore and has said he will be working to guide “our city’s growth while keeping it the kind of place where people are proud to live and work.”

Also that evening, the council named its members to positions that are important for city governance. Councilwoman Rhonda Mahan will again serve as Mayor Pro Tempore, making her the official back-up mayor should Moore become unable to perform his duties for any reason.

Regarding the annual appointment of council members to serve as department liaisons, those will remain the same from 2025. Liaisons are meant to increase communication between City Hall and the day-to-day operators and promoters of the city.

Councilwoman Mahan will serve with the Hiawassee Downtown Development Authority; Councilman Gordon will liaise for the Blairsville Municipal Airport; Councilman Dyer will act as the go-between for the Blairsville Police Department; Councilwoman Kayla Hemphill will be in charge of forwarding the public interest in regard to city streets; and Councilwoman Mary Ruth Cook will work with the Blairsville Water and Sewer Departments.

Additionally, retired mayor Jim Conley will reprise his role as liaison between City Hall and the Union County Historical Society.

Rounding out the annual organizational activities from that evening, the council re-appointed City Clerk Kaye McCann and City Attorney Marvin Harkins to their roles for another year. McCann and Harkins were warmly received for their ongoing service to the community.

In Department Head reports, Union County Fire Chief David Dyer said the Fire Department ran about 30% of its 2025 emergency calls inside city limits – mostly medical calls, a few wrecks and a couple fires – which is “pretty impressive” for the smaller area of town, he said.

Dyer said firefighters experienced a rough end of the year, responding to two fatal fires in December and performing an extended search for missing hiker Charles Hosch, who has yet to be found.

“The biggest news is the new 911 Center,” Dyer said, noting that building construction is moving right along and that all the equipment vendors had been assigned to get “the latest and greatest” in new 911 technology.

“We’re still looking for a June or July date of probably opening it up,” Dyer said. “It’ll take a couple of weeks to test everything out, and then we’ll hopefully get started and get out of that basement that we’re in (at the Old Nursing Home).”

Blairsville Police Chief Michael “Bear” Baxter said December was a slow month for crime “with the exception of one business burglary,” referring to King’s Hometown Pharmacy. Baxter could not say much about the burglary given the ongoing nature of the investigation.

“I can tell you a little bit,” Baxter said. “We’re making leads on that – we have very good leads. I’m not going to go into what kind of leads we have, but we feel confident we know these individuals and that subsequently, at some point, we will be making an arrest.”

Looking back on 2025, Baxter said the Police Department came in under budget, “so we’re proud of that.” Blairsville PD also had its biggest-ever Shop With A Cop for Christmas event, and Baxter credited all the generous donors and volunteer chaperones who made it possible.

Baxter also thanked Fire Chief Dyer, who directs 911 Dispatch and the local Emergency Management Agency as well, for consulting with other first responder agencies on the new 911 Center in an attempt to future-proof public safety needs in an ever-growing county.

“We need to look forward down the road; when we’re gone, somebody else needs to be ready for this,” Baxter said.

Additional meeting business pertaining to the Blairsville Municipal Airport is covered in a separate article in this week’s newspaper.