Ashley Bell took the oath of office Friday to become Hall County’s newest commissioner.
Bell’s wife, Lauren, held the Bible for him as Superior Court Judge Jason Deal swore him in at the Hall County Courthouse Annex.
Bell will represent District 4, which encompasses much of the county within the Gainesville city limits.
After taking the oath, Bell addressed the standing-room only crowd, thanking supporters and pledging to work to better Hall County.
“I was raised here. This is the county where I’m raising my family now,” Bell said. “I will leave this office better than when I came in.”
Gainesville Mayor Myrtle Figueras and Hall County Administrator Charley Nix also spoke.
In July, Bell defeated incumbent commissioner Deborah Mack to earn the Democratic nomination for the seat. He was unopposed on the ballot in the fall election.
Bell was the only new member elected to the Board of Commissioners this year. At age 28, he is Hall County’s youngest commissioner ever and one of the youngest in Georgia.
Bell is a graduate of Gainesville High School and Valdosta State University, and attended law school at the University of Georgia and Louisiana State University. He is an attorney and partner at Bell & Washington, LLP, practicing law throughout the state.
Bell and his wife have two children, Lilla and Ashley B.W. Bell. The Bells are members of St. Paul United Methodist Church.
The Board of Commissioners will hold its first meeting of 2009 at 9 a.m. Monday in the Courthouse Annex.