Cherokee County Legislators
OUR SENATORS
John Albers | Senator John Albers, a Republican, represents the 56th District, which includes portions of Fulton and Cherokee County. He serves as chairman of State Institutions and Property and vice chairman of the Public Safety committee. He is also a member of the Finance and Economic Development committees. Senator Albers has long been an active member of his community. His affiliations include the World Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Roswell United Methodist Church Job Networking Industry Guide, Alpharetta Public Safety Foundation Board of Directors (past chairman), Hope & Light Foundation Board of Directors, Republican Party Member (National, Georgia, Fulton & Cherokee), Awakening, Heritage Foundation Presidents Club, Scout Leader, EnAble of GA Board of Directors, Sigma Phi Epsilon KY Beta Alumni Board, National Rifle Association, Georgia Carry, Roswell Area Park (youth sports coach), Roswell Historical Society, Friends of Bullock Hall, Kiwanis and Roswell Rotary. Senator Albers is a fourth generation firefighter serving as a volunteer in Alpharetta and member of the Georgia Firefighters Association. In 2011, Senator Albers was named Legislator of the Year by the Georgia State Firefighters Association and the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs. Senator Albers, a devout Methodist, lives in Roswell. He attended the University of Louisville and is a graduate of the Carl Vinson School of Government Legislative Leadership Institute at the University of Georgia. When not attending to state business, Senator Albers is an executive and business owner. He and his wife, Kari of 20 years, have two sons: Will and Ryan. |
Brandon Beach | Louisiana native and LSU graduate Brandon Beach brings a special blend of Southern charisma to every endeavor. Currently, Beach is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, leading the fourth largest chamber in the metro area. Beach has played an integral role in helping North Fulton grow and prosper in his 19-plus years in Atlanta. During his tenure with the Chamber of Commerce, membership of top level executives and chief executive officers (Chairman’s Circle) has increased by 60 percent, and commerce retention developed from 67 to 82 percent annually. Beach also partnered with various organizations to increase economic development. As a result of these partnerships, the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in the heart of Alpharetta was opened 5 years ago this past May. Beach has also become an effective regional and state-wide leader, appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue in 2004 to the board of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA). In 2008, he was selected to chair one of GRTA’s most important committees – The Land Development Committee (formerly the Development of Regional Impact Committee). In this role, Beach leads a review of every significant development brought before the 16-county area that GRTA serves. Beach’s commitment to public service is exemplified in his membership on many community boards including the Regional Business Coalition, Grady Hospital Board of Visitors, the Greater Metro Atlanta American Heart Association, the Fulton County Development Authority, the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Encore Park and the Historic Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau. A graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute in 2003 and a former member of the Alpharetta City Council and the Alpharetta Planning and Zoning Commission, Beach received an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a Masters in Business Administration degree from Centenary College. He and his wife, Shuntel, have two children, and have lived in Alpharetta for the past 19 years. |
Bruce Thompson | Bruce Thompson is a businessman and true conservative for Georgia’s State Senate District 14. Born to a family of little means in the small town of Big Sandy, Montana, Bruce did not have much in the way of material things, but his family did have a shared love and faith in Jesus Christ which has helped shape him and his family into who they are today. At the young age of eleven Bruce went to work on the family farm. Bruce was often operating large tractors, combines, and the eighteen-wheel semi as his part to help his family thrive. Bruce was lucky to be raised by incredible parents who taught him the meaning of a hard days work. Chores began at 5 AM each and every morning, and finished late each evening after athletic practice. It was this understanding of a truly hard work ethic and the meaning of self-reliance that has made him the successful businessman that he is today. After attending college on a wrestling scholarship at Montana State University-Northern, Bruce served 4 years in the United States Military as a tank commander. Since his tenure in the military, Bruce has developed into a business mogul and local leader in North Georgia. Bruce is a very successful entrepreneur and insurance agent with Allstate Insurance. He has previously served as the Chairman of the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce, and is currently a proposed Board Director at Northside Bank and the Chairman of Personnel at First Baptist Cartersville. Bruce and his devoted wife of 16 years, Becky, reside in the Cartersville area along with their beautiful children Faith and Max. |
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Mandi Ballinger
| Mandi Ballinger is currently serving her fourth term in the Georgia House of Representatives, where she chairs the Juvenile Justice Committee. She serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety, as well as the Rules, Transportation, Judiciary Non-Civil, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight and Information and Audits committees in the House. She is Speaker David Ralston's appointee to the Georgia Commission on Domestic Violence, the Georgia Child Fatality Review Board and the Georgia Council for Interstate Juvenile Supervision. She is currently serving on the Sex Offender Registration and Review Board and the Special Advisory Group for Juvenile Justice, having been appointed by former Governor Nathan Deal. She was appointed and continues to serve on the Georgia Supreme Court's Justice for Children Committee, having been appointed by Justice David E. Nahmias. She serves on the Natural Resources and Infrastructure Committee with the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) and on the Human Services and Public Safety Committee with the Southern Legislative Conference.
She has been instrumental in furthering Georgia's laws dealing with domestic violence and child abuse and has been recognized for this legislative work by the Georgia Association of Solicitor Generals, the District Attorneys Association, the Georgia Commission on Domestic Violence and the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence. A strong supporter of the Second Amendment, Representative Ballinger has been recognized for her work on the issue by being awarded back-to-back Legislator of the Year awards by Georgia Carry. She has been recognized many times for her leadership, having been nominated and selected to participate in NCSL's Emerging Leaders Program in Bentonville, Arkansas. Additionally, she was also selected to be a member of the inaugural class of NCSL’s Child Welfare Fellows Program. She was also selected for the highly competitive Emerging Leaders Program by State Legislative Leaders Foundation in association with the University of Virginia. She was recognized for her leadership on juvenile justice issues by being awarded the Martha K. Glazebrook award from Georgia's Council of Juvenile Court Judges. In 2013, Rep. Ballinger completed the Georgia Legislative Leadership Institute (GLLI) by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. In the community, she serves on the Boards of Cherokee Focus and the Children's Haven, which is the local CASA program. Professionally, Mandi began her career in the non-profit world, working in a domestic violence shelter, after which she worked for a district attorney's office as a Victim Advocate. She left the district attorney’s office and returned to the non-profit arena, serving as the founding director for a Child Advocacy Center. She now works as a business consultant. She resides with her son in Canton, Georgia. |
Charlice Byrd
| Charlice H. Byrd is a Republican member of the Georgia House of Representatives who serves District 20 and parts of Cherokee County. A longtime resident of Woodstock, Charlice Byrd has been a political activist for years, having donated her time and resources to conservative causes and candidates throughout the country and right here in our community. Charlice served as President of the Republican Women’s Club and on the Executive Committee for the Georgia Republican Party. In 2015 Charlice was recruited to join the paid staff of Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. to help President Trump’s campaign secure the Republican nomination and ultimately win the White House. Charlice appreciated the opportunity to work with President Trump and help defeat the Democrats in the 2016 election cycle. Charlice Byrd previously represented our community in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2005 to 2013. She was both an outspoken, conservative voice and an award-winning effective legislative leader. Charlice played a key role in helping the Republican Party secure their first legislative majority in Georgia’s history since Reconstruction. Charlice is a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and spent the early portion of her career as a classroom educator. Charlice and her husband Michael are longtime residents of Woodstock and members of First Baptist Church of Woodstock. |
Wes Cantrell |
John Carson | John Carson was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in an October 2011 Special Election run-off. He represents the 46th District, which includes the northeast portion of Cobb County and the southeast portion of Cherokee County. An Atlanta native, John Carson was raised in a family that encouraged conservative values, the importance of education, and an excellent work ethic. John’s late father was an engineer for Georgia Power and small business owner, and his mother raised three sons and also worked in counseling roles at charitable organizations. In addition, both of John’s grandfathers were middle Georgia farmers. John’s three main beliefs/priorities are faith, family and freedom:
John and his wife Beverly have been married for eight years and have two children. Their family attends Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, and previously attended Mount Paran North Church of God for over ten years. |
Brad Thomas | Brad Thomas is a Republican member of the Georgia House of Representatives who serves District 21. A local professional engineer, he moved to Georgia at the age of 14 and graduated from Dunwoody High School. Following high school graduation, and only days after he turned 18, Brad enlisted in the United States Navy where he quickly rose to the rank of Petty Officer Second Class and was Honorably Discharged in 2001. Using his G.I. Bill and HOPE scholarship, he managed to cover the majority of his educational costs attaining a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Georgia Southern University. Brad moved to Cherokee County in 2006 and began his engineering training in Holly Springs where he worked hard and earned his state engineering license. Since then, Brad has worked on a variety of different sized capital projects ranging from energy and power generation projects for the US Department of Energy to smaller projects for local companies. He partnered with another engineer and, as a small business owner, he continues to work to meet the needs of his clients. His experience fighting for his friends, family and neighbors, problem solving skills, and entrepreneurial spirit has encouraged him to seek public office. |
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Commission Chairman
| Harry Johnston is the Commission Chairman of Cherokee County Georgia. He previously served as District 1 Commissioner from 2000 – 2014, Planning Commission from 1996-2000, Chairman 1998-2000, He is Near Lifelong County Resident. Married for 42 years to Rebecca Wheeler Johnston, a sixth generation Cherokee County resident. Two grown children graduated from Cherokee County Schools, and two grandchildren. Certified Public Accountant. Bachelors and masters degrees in finance & accounting. Recently retired from a 42-year career in management of multiple accounting functions at Southern Company. Lifelong Baptist Sunday School Teacher. Deacon and Church Treasurer. Choir member. Extensive civic and community involvement… Past President of the Kiwanis Club of Canton and lieutenant governor of the Georgia District of Kiwanis, YMCA, Chairman & Volunteer of the Year; served as a Cherokee County Library Trustee, Chamber of Commerce; Leadership Cherokee; Cherokee Historical Society, and more.
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District 1 Commissioner
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District 2 Commissioner
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District 3 Commissioner
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District 4 Commissioner
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