Candidate cleared to run in District 3

No matter how the Columbia County Board of Elections ruled, Peggy Lichtenberg was ready.

"Whatever decision they made I understood that it had to be a legal decision and I would abide by that, but that wouldn't stop me from running in the next election," she said. "I knew I'd be in the house by then."

Instead, the board cleared her to run in the Aug. 20 special election to fill the District 3 county commission seat - left vacant by the resignation of Barry Fleming, who is now running for the Georgia House of Representatives.

Lichtenberg will face Tony Mundy and Mark Devoti in the non-partisan race.

At issue in the race was Lichtenberg's residency. Mundy claimed she outside of District 3 on High Hampton Drive in West Lake subdivision, even though her candidate information showed a Chamblin Road address.

Lichtenberg admits she's currently living on High Hampton Drive in West Lake, but says that's only temporary. She and her husband have pieced together a 270-acre homestead surrounding a home on Chamblin Road, plus owns the 136-acre Canterbury Trails Equestrian Center nearby.

Now, they waiting on workers to finish renovating the 8,638-square-foot home on Chamblin Road, which was once owned by Georgia Regent Tim Shelnut.

"That will be my permanent residence, probably until I die, as soon as I can get in there" she said. "I can't wait."

After getting the opinion of the county attorney, the board ruled that Lichtenberg was a resident of District 3.

"The fact that the person is temporarily unable to reside in a particular place which is that person's intended residence due to things such as renovations and repairs would not necessarily prevent such person from being a resident of that location," county attorney Doug Batchelor wrote to the board.