Flowery Branch’s busy election season begins today.

Qualifying to fill a City Council seat vacated by Craig Lutz is set to take place 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday at City Hall, 5517 Main St.

Lutz, who served as mayor pro tem and was in the middle of his first four-year term, resigned in April to run for the South Hall seat on the Hall County Board of Commissioners.

The city will hold a Sept. 21 election at City Hall to replace him. A run-off election, if needed, would take place Oct. 19.

Residents have more dates to jot down, as Flowery Branch’s political picture gets more complicated.

Qualifying also is set for Sept. 27-29 to fill the mayor seat vacated by Diane Hirling. She left the city May 31 after announcing a few days earlier that she and her husband, Bob, had planned to retire to Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Hirling had just started her second four-year term on Jan. 1.

The election to replace Hirling is set for Nov. 2, or general election day.

The city also will receive candidates Sept. 27-29 for the council post now held by Interim Mayor Mike Miller, who has said he plans to resign to run for mayor.

Miller began serving his first four-year term as councilman on Jan. 1. Council members elected him mayor pro tem after Lutz resigned.
The city will hold a Nov. 2 special election to replace him.

“One concern we have is that we will have low turnout because (residents) are going to have to go to their polling station for the county and then come to City Hall for their city elections (on Nov. 2),” City Clerk Melissa McCain has said.

Lutz’s immediate political future will be determined in a July 20 primary.

He faces incumbent Bobby Banks and fellow challenger Robert “Kim” Senter in the Republican race for the commission seat.