County schedules special meeting on 4th District vacancy after commissioner qualifies to run for Congress
By Eric Curl
March 7, 2026 — A dispute over whether a seat on the Chatham County Board of Commissioners is vacant emerged this week after Commissioner Patrick Farrell said he has not resigned, despite a county announcement stating he stepped down to run for Congress.
In a media advisory issued Friday, the county said commissioners will hold a special called meeting Tuesday at 9 a.m. to address a vacancy in the 4th District commission seat. The advisory states that Farrell “resigned from the 4th District post this week to qualify to run for Georgia’s 1st Congressional District.”
But Farrell told Savannah Agenda in an interview Saturday that he never submitted a resignation and no one informed him that his seat had been vacated. He would prefer to continue serving unless state law requires him to leave the office.
“I didn’t resign,” Farrell said. “All I did was take an action by qualifying.”
Farrell qualified Thursday to run for the seat in Georgia’s 1st congressional district, which is currently held by Earl “Buddy” Carter. Carter is running for the US Senate.
Georgia law may vacate the seat automatically
Whether Farrell formally resigns may not determine the outcome.
Under the Georgia Constitution, the office of any county elected official “shall be declared vacant” when the official qualifies for another office whose term would begin more than 30 days before the end of the current term.
Because Farrell’s county commission term runs nearly three more years and the next congressional term would begin in January 2027, the constitutional provision could automatically vacate his seat.
Farrell acknowledged that possibility.
“If the Constitution says it’s vacated and I don’t have a choice, then I’ve chosen on my own free will to qualify for the U.S. Congress seat,” he said. “So, if that triggers some mechanism that vacates my seat, then so be it.”
Legal precedent in Georgia
Georgia courts and legal opinions have previously enforced the constitutional rule. In the 1997 Georgia Supreme Court case Hornsby v. Campbell, the court ruled that a municipal prosecutor forfeited her office immediately after qualifying to run for another position whose term overlapped with her current one.
A 2000 opinion from the Georgia Attorney General reached a similar conclusion involving a DeKalb County commissioner, stating that the commissioner would “vacate his office immediately” upon qualifying to run for another office when the terms overlap.
Special meeting scheduled
The county commission is scheduled to meet Tuesday morning at the administrative building at 124 Bull St. to address the potential vacancy.
Farrell said he was aware of the meeting but was not planning to attend.
“My thought was that I would reach out to (County Attorney) John Hart on Monday morning just to make sure we’re all on the same page …” he said. “But I kind of hate to hear the word ‘resign’ because I don’t want to resign.”
Possible special election
If the seat is declared vacant, Georgia law requires a special election to fill the remainder of the term when more than six months remain.
Farrell said his understanding is that the commission could appoint someone temporarily until voters elect a successor.
A recent precedent occurred in August 2020 when District 2 Commissioner James Holmes died from COVID-19. The Chatham County Commission appointed his wife, Yvonne Holmes, to fill the remainder of his term. In 2023, the commission again appointed a commissioner’s spouse when Jean Rivers was selected to temporarily fill the District 2 seat after the death of Commissioner Larry “Gator” Rivers. She served until voters chose a replacement in a September 2023 special election.
Two decades on the commission
First elected in 2004 and sworn in the following year, Farrell is currently serving his sixth consecutive term representing the county’s 4th district.
The district covers much of the eastern and coastal portions of the county, including the barrier-island communities such as Wilmington Island and Tybee Island along with surrounding coastal and unincorporated areas near Savannah.
Among the accomplishments Farrell cited were rebuilding major boat ramps, replacing drawbridges serving the county’s islands, expanding the county jail, restoring the Chatham County Police Department and consistantly opposing property tax increases.
One unfinished priority, he said, is a proposed regional indoor recreation facility capable of hosting large youth sports tournaments.
For now, Farrell said he plans to follow whatever the law ultimately requires.
“I’m just here to follow the law …” he said. “If it says I’m still there, I’m staying.”
WHAT: Special Called Meeting
WHEN: Tuesday, March 10
TIME: 9 a.m.
WHERE: Chatham County Commission Chambers, 124 Bull St., Savannah, Ga.