Not Running for Re-election: Jacques and Foster Make the Announcement This Week

There will now be three openings on the Franklin County Board of Commissioners.

At their work session Tuesday evening, both Commissioner Kyle Foster and County Commission Chair Jeff Jacques announced they will not run for re-election.

Both Foster and Jacques made their respective announcements during the District Comments section of the meeting just before adjournment.

Foster said he decided after much prayer.

In making his resignation announcement, Commission Chair Jacques thanked citizens for their support over the past two and a half years as he filled the unexpired term of former Commission Chair Dr. Jason Macomson who resigned in 2021.

Jacques won the seat in a special election in November 2022 and at the time said his initial goal was to was to see Franklin County move forward economically while retaining its rural farming history and for residential growth in a specified area, and then have important retail, commercial, and industrial growth to be placed in targeted areas that yield a tax base, jobs, and make good partners in the community.

In January 2023, he announced a directive to re-examine the Unified Development Code with a view toward making several adjustments in the sections regarding mobile homes, residential subdivisions, and minimum lot sizes for residential homes.

In speaking to WLHR News Tuesday, Jacques said there is still a lot of work to be done this year before he leaves office, including passing the next fiscal budget, purchasing new e911 communications equipment, and developing and submitting the County’s Comprehensive Plan.

The two announcements Tuesday leave two Board Commissioner seats open and the Commission Chair seat.

Commissioner Robert Franklin had also announced earlier he would not run for re-election for District 1.

So far, Carol Lee Coker and Timothy Crunkleton have both announced their plans to run for District 1.

So far, no one has filled out the paper work at the Board of Elections office to run for Foster’s District 4 seat.

Qualifying for all open Franklin County seats begins on Monday, March 4, and runs through Friday, March 8.