Residents of the City of Dawsonville have an opportunity to make a difference in their community by qualifying to run for one of two open city council seats.

Qualifying begins next Monday, Aug. 26, and runs through Friday, Aug. 30. Potential candidates must be 21 or older and be registered and qualified to vote. They must have lived in the city of Dawsonville for one year immediately prior to the day of taking office, and continue to reside within the city during the period of service.

Paperwork needs to be completed at the Dawson County Board of Elections on any of those five days from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Candidates must pay a qualifying fee of $180.

Candidates are elected for a four-year term.

Angie Smith and Mike Sosebee were elected last November to temporarily fill the two seats vacated when then Mayor Pro-tem W. James Grogan and Council Member Calvin Byrd ran for mayor. Grogan won the election, capturing 61 percent of the 514 votes.

Sosebee said he will run again. Yes, I plan to run, he said.

Smith, on the other hand, is still thinking it over. The position on the city council is one that I take very seriously, and in the year that I have served, I have tried to always represent the people of this great community, Smith said. The decision to run for a full term is one that I take very seriously, and I am giving it full consideration. I have enjoyed my time on the council tremendously and will make a decision very soon. ...

To access the paperwork needed to apply for candidacy, go to the Secretary of States website, http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/candidates.htm, then scroll down and click, County Candidates. Candidates for city council and county elected offices complete the same form.