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Qualifying for the District 3 County Commissioner’s spot will be over at noon today.

The seat to be filled is the seat of former Commissioner Anthony South, who resigned to run for the Commission Chairmanship.

The special election to fulfill South’s unexpired term will be on the ballot on July 15th in the General Primary Election.

Although there were four or five names being circulated as possible candidates, only Joel Pitts and Rusty Blackston had qualified as of early Tuesday afternoon.

“We expect one or maybe two more to come in before qualifying is over,” noted Election Superintendent Norma Hodge. “I am a little surprised it has been this slow.”

Both Blackston, a poultry and beef cattle farmer, and Pitts, an electrician, will run on the Republican ticket.

“The county is in need of new blood, new ideas and we need to mainstream what we have,” said Blackston on Tuesday. “We basically need to learn to live within our means. We have to draw new industry in. We can’t become a bed and breakfast community.”

When asked to describe what he thought was the problem with new industry, Blackston had this to say.

“Leadership. The city and the county are not willing to cooperate and work together. We have to come together in a united front to make it happen.”

Efforts to reach Pitts for comment prior to presstime on Tuesday were unsuccessful.