Within a day after Commissioner

Harold Bost announced his resignation, a Fayetteville lawyer became the

first candidate to throw his hat in the ring to replace Bost.

"I hate to see him [Bost]

leave," said Stephen Ott, who said he first heard about Bost's decision

to resign Friday. "I was just stunned."

Bost kept the announcement

close to the vest prior to last Thursday's County Commission meeting.

The resignation is effective

April 20, and commissioners have asked the county Elections Board to call

a special election for June 19.

Ott, who worked as a volunteer

for Bost's election in 2000, said this week he has already started fund-raising

and has built up a few thousand dollars.

"I talked to my wife [Macy]

and made sure that it was something she could support," he added.

He had thought about qualifying to run in 2000, he said, but didn't follow

through.

Ott said he has supported Bost's

positions in favor of slow growth and would continue those policies if

elected.

"Slow growth and organized

growth," he said. Ott said he previously lived in Douglas County

and "saw some examples of tremendous overgrowth and what I would

consider a complete lack of planning."

He also would favor low-density

zoning, he said.

Some growth is needed, though,

he said. "Most businesses depend on some growth," he said, adding

that he favors impact fees, and, "You don't get impact fees if you

have no growth."

Ott, 33, was formerly with

the law firm Webb and Lindsey in Peachtree City, and recently joined Garcia

and Bradley in Fayetteville.

A native of Hogansville, Ga.,

he holds a B.A. in political science from Mercer University in Macon and

a law degree from Georgia State University School of Law.

At Webb and Lindsey, Ott said,

he practiced primarily in the areas of plaintiff's personal injury and

municipal law, defending the city of Peachtree City on zoning and land

use issues. "I was privileged, while with that firm, to work for

the city," he said.

At Garcia and Bradley, he said,

he works in a variety of legal matters, mostly automobile insurance cases

for both plaintiffs and defendants, and general business representation.

Married with one child, Ott

volunteers as a mentor at Spring Hill Elementary School, and is an assistant

coach in recreation t-ball.

He also is a member of the

Metro Fayette Kiwanis Club, Fayette County Republican Party, the county

Bar Association (president in 1999) and serves on the American Cancer

Society Relay for Life Board.

He was awarded the Georgia

Supreme Court Chief Justice Award for Outstanding Community Service last

year.

Though not making an outright

endorsement, Bost said this week he is happy to see Ott run for his post.

"I've got an awful lot

of confidence in him," said Bost.

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