Candidate Appeals Decision on Winder Councilman's Residency

A candidate vying for a seat on the Winder City Council has challenged a decision on a councilman's residency status.

The reports the challenger for Charlie Eberhart’s Ward 2 seat has appealed a decision by the Barrow County Board of Elections and Registration affirming Eberhart's residency.

Jim Cooley claims Eberhart, who has served on the council for two decades, and has asked a Barrow County Superior Court judge to weigh in on the issue.

Eberhart said he lives at his funeral home business in Winder in an apartment, spending 90 percent of his time there, rather than with his wife, who has a house in Athens.

The issue will come before the court eight days before the Nov. 8 municipal election, as a hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 31.