Lumpkin County based land surveyor and local politician, Doug Sherrill, announced this week that he would be joining the growing field of candidates vying to fill the Georgia House District 9 seat, which represents portions of Lumpkin, Dawson and Forsyth counties.

In a statement to the Dawson County News on Thursday, Sherrill said that after years of public service in a variety of different capacities, including vice-chair of the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners and member of the Georgia Board of Health, he believes his knowledge and insights at the state-level could help benefit the people of District 9.

 "I am a conservative and believe in less government, less regulation, and I've worked really hard in Lumpkin County to not raise taxes and at the same time, have an efficient but effective government,” Sherrill said. “So I want to take that to the state level and do all I can to benefit Dawson and Lumpkin County."

Sherrill, a professional land surveyor, land planner and owner of Land Development Professionals LLC, said that the main focus of his campaign will be on local issues like infrastructure and transportation.

"I know what the county and community needs, from roadwork to infrastructure to economic development, I'm very attuned to those things and know what it takes to make those happen,” he said.

Sherrill, 44, lives in Lumpkin County with his wife, Lori and their four children. He received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from North Georgia College and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of North Georgia.

Previously three other individuals announced their candidacy for the District 9 seat, including Dawson County Board of Education member Will Wade and north Georgia attorneys, Steven Leibel and Zachary Tumlin.

The District 9 seat, which has been held by State Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawsonville) for four terms, will be vacated as tanner campaigns for Georgia’s 9th Congressional district seat, which has been held by Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) since 2013.