CAIRO, Ga. — The candidate field for the March 19 special election to fill the vacant Grady County Board of Commissioners District 5 seat has been set.

County Probate Judge Denise Maddox said Cairo residents Phillip Drew and Jesse Ryan Schober had declared their intentions to run for the vacant office when the candidate qualification period ended noon Friday.

The 54-year-old Drew, running for the seat as a Republican, has lived in Grady County his entire life.

“I want to see if I can help out the citizens of Grady County,” Drew said. “I’ve got the time to do it, and I want to be able to give back to the community that has given to me.”

Drew, who has never run for public office before, works for JE Sharber Oil in Bainbridge and also owns and operates Grady Oil and Drew Service Station in Cairo.

Schober, 28, currently serves as a litigation paralegal for a law firm in Tallahassee, Fla.

“I feel that my skill set, which is from a legal background, is well-versed in research and learning about issues and problem-solving and would make me well-suited for this position,” said Schober, who will run as a Democrat.

A seven-year Air Force veteran, Schober has also served as a volunteer firefighter and volunteered with the American Legion in Cairo.

The winner of the March election will complete the remainder of a four-year term which began Jan. 1. The term will expire Dec. 31, 2022.

Advance voting will take place weekdays between Feb. 25 and March 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the county Board of Registrars.

Election day voting will take place at the Cairo Agri-Center from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. March 19.

Unregistered individuals who desire to vote in the election must register to do so at the Board of Registrars in Cairo prior to the close of business Feb. 19.

Candidates will be listed alphabetically on the ballot.

The District 5 seat was made vacant when former commissioner TD David resigned Dec. 31.

David is recovering from an unspecified illness at a rehabilitation center in Jacksonville, Fla.

The board of commissioners formally accepted David’s resignation Jan. 8.