Candidate Qualifying underway for Seneca Election

Candidate qualifying opened this week for the City of Seneca’s March 11 municipal election, when the voters will be asked to fill four of the eight council seats. Those council members whose seats expire this year and who are eligible to run again are seeking re-election, something Seneca Mayor Dan Alexander was glad to hear. “I was real proud to see the ones that are in office wanting to go back and put their name down.  They are a great group of people and they do it for all the right reasons and it is hard to come by a government that doesn’t have personal agendas but that group there they all bring something different to the table.  The ones that have signed back up are E. Riley, Andrea Alewine, Joel Ward and Scott Durham.  My job is lots easier by the people I am surrounded by.” The big change for the 2014 municipal election is that now the Oconee County Voter Registration and Elections Office is running it.  Mayor Alexander feels this is a positive thing for the city.  “This will be the first time this has ever happened.  When you look at what is required now, all the regulations to run an election that you have to do, the Election Board at the county go through all the training, and they have a full-time staff that can actually administrate the election for us.  It definitely makes things a lot easier for us.” Now with Oconee County handling the Seneca municipal election, candidates must file in person at the Oconee County Voter Registration and Elections Office in Walhalla. Qualifying runs until January 17. Winners will serve four-year terms on the Seneca City Council.