Chairman Ashley Durrence withdraws from Commission race

The following letter was submitted by Ashley Durrence, Chairman of the Tattnall County Commissioners.

To the Citizens of Tattnall County, I would like to thank many of you for putting your faith in me as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners.  I have struggled in the past few months debating on the right decision on whether to run for re-election and commit myself to another 4 years of service.  Many things have changed in my professional and personal life in the past year that have weighted heavy on my decision.

In my professional life, the improvements in the economy have increased the need for me to dedicate more time to our growing company.  In a management position, those people count on me to be there and to perform at a high level every day.

My Family is growing and becoming more active every day.  This has created new draws and needs of my time with a 7-year-old son, 5-year-old daughter and a new 3-month-old son.  As my older children get more involved in the next few years, I do not want anything to stand in the way of me attending or participating in their activities.  This has been my main concern when I was debating the decision to commit for the next 4 years.

I guess some people would just walk away and not have re-qualified but I have a heart for service and felt compelled to continue regardless of my professional and personal life since there was no one else running at the time.  That was a mistake and I recognize it now as the election cycle begins.  On March 21, 2016, I officially withdrew from the race and will no longer seek another term as Chairman at this time.  This leaves only one candidate that has qualified for the position and several weeks for others to make a decision to run as an independent.

I truly care about this County and have worked to move it forward.  I only hope that the next Board of Commissioners and Chairman will continue to move our county forward and not go where we have been in the past.  We have made some substantial changes to the County’s Operations that have added efficiency and, most importantly, accountability with Your County assets.  I know some may not approve or like all these decisions that were made but they have been made with honesty and integrity since I have been Chairman.

I will complete my current term as Chairman with the same enthusiasm and work effort I have had for the first 15 months.  I trust that you understand my decision and will accept it.  If you have questions, please call or email and I will gladly discuss this further.

Contact info

adurrence@tattnall.com

912-557-4335

912-237-3710