Secretary of State’s Office Investigates Fr County Commission District 4 Race

The Secretary of State’s office is investigating whether former County Commissioner-Elect Cole Roper violated any State election laws when he ran for County Commissioner for District 4 and then resigned before taking office.

WLHR News spoke with an investigator with the Secretary of State’s Investigation Division who confirmed an investigation is underway and could be concluded in the coming weeks.

Roper qualified to run for the District 4 seat in March after being approved for a mortgage to build a house in District 3.

Under Georgia law, a County Commissioner must live in the district they serve.

Roper won the District 4 seat last May but soon after it came out that he was building a house just over the line in District 3.

Roper listed his address as 3935 Sandy Cross Road in District 4 but secured a mortgage for the new house he was building at 5355 Sandy Cross Road in February before qualifying for the District 4 commission race.

In an interview with WLHR News in August, Roper said he was not aware of the Georgia law and said he had offers on the house or that relatives from out of state would be living there.

“It was brought to my attention this week that the house and property lie 1600 feet over into District 3. I guess what some people don’t realize is my wife’s parents are from Illinois and will be moving down here so they can spend time with their new granddaughter. I’ve also had an offer on the property and home that’s being built,” he wrote in a subsequent press release.

But in late November, Roper sent an email to the Board of Commissioners resigning the District 4 seat before taking the oath of office and before attending training for newly elected Commissioners.

“I am writing this to inform you of my resignation as the incoming commissioner for district 4 of Franklin County. As much as I want to serve you, the citizens, I must keep my wife and baby Blakely first,” he said in his email to the Commission. “As I have participated in meetings and work sessions the past few months, I see that I have a serious time constraint. I am simply not willing to give up the time watching my child grow up, as well as quality time with my wife,” he said.

Many in the County questioned his sudden resignation and told WLHR News Roper should be fined or should have been required to pay for the special election to replace him.

Others thought Roper’s original challenger, Josh Smith, should have automatically been put into the District 4 seat.  County Attorney Bubba Samuels consulted with the Secretary of State’s office and was told a Special Election would have to take place.

A Special Election was scheduled for March 21 but was canceled when only Smith qualified to run for the District 4 seat.

In December, WLHR News contacted the Secretary of State’s office to find out if Roper had broken any election laws and what, if any, consequences he might face if he had.

WLHR News received a call from an investigator with the Secretary of State’s  Investigations Division on Thursday confirming an investigation is underway but no details could be released.

After the investigation is concluded, the investigator said the results will be forwarded to the State Board of Elections, which will determine if any penalties or fines will be leveled.

Right now, there is no exact timeline for when the State Board of Elections will review the case.

WLHR News will continue to follow this story and bring you any updates as they become available.