Commissioner: Bye, George? Not quite yet

By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Morgan County’s first elected Republican isn’t a member of the GOP anymore.
District No. 3 Morgan County Commissioner Stacy George has switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party and is keeping all of his options open as far as his political future is concerned.
George, who lost to Greg Abercrombie by 3,068 votes in last Tuesday’s Republican primary, officially said goodbye to the Republican Party and hello to the Democratic Party Tuesday.
George dismissed a rumor that he is thinking about being a write-in candidate in an effort to retain his Place 4 position on the commission in November or seeking the Democratic Party nomination for that position.
George was seeking his third term in office. In 2000, he became Morgan County’s first elected Republican to serve in a county office, a move that started the switch over to a two-party county. Morgan County’s Sheriff, Revenue Commissioner, License Commissioner and the majority of the current county commissioners are Republicans.
As a Democrat, however, George is looking at the possibility of changing his residency and becoming a candidate for Morgan County Commission District 3, subject to the November General Election. Former two-term commissioner Don Stisher is the GOP nominee for that position, after defeating incumbent Kevin Murphy last week.
There is a Democrat, Bill Fowler, seeking the District 3 seat. If he drops out, however, the Morgan County Democratic Party could select its own nominee.
“I want to serve out the remainder of my term as District 4 commissioner and there is a legal question about whether or not I can do that if I move to another district,” George said. “I talked with Democratic Party officials at the state level and they told me the Morgan County Democratic Executive Committee has jurisdiction in county elections. I suppose they could meet and interview potential nominees and make a selection prior to the next election.”