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Porterdale opens solicitor position after solicitor Baig resigns
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AJ Archer
Updated: Jun 12, 2011, 4:00 AM
Published: Jun 11, 2011, 9:05 PM

The city of Porterdale has an opening for the solicitor position, as former Porterdale Municipal Court Solicitor Qader Baig has resigned.

Baig gave his resignation notice to Mayor Bobby Hamby on May 23.

The Porterdale City Council met with Baig in closed session on May 26. Baig left the meeting, and no action was taken by the council when the session reopened. The resignation follows the council's May 2 decision to post requests for qualifications for the municipal court solicitor position, among other positions.

As written in his resignation letter, Baig felt that the "Council's intent to seek alternate candidates may be founded upon disappointment in the manner in which a single case was recently handled...."

The referenced case is that of a DUI received by a Conyers Police Department officer, whose plea allowed his sentence to be lowered to reckless driving. Baig wrote that the mayor, city manager and chief of police all supported the case's outcome.

"The handling or resignation of that particular case was not the motivation for the city's action," Hamby wrote in a letter to Baig regarding his resignation.

Instead, the request was posted in order to make sure the court is "staffed by qualified and respected professionals," a process best accomplished by "periodically opening these positions for review and renewal in a public and transparent process."

The council has expressed a willingness to see Baig reclaim the position. According to Hamby's letter, the city would like Baig to submit his application under the request for qualifications.

In his resignation letter, Baig wrote he would rather "defer to their interest in finding alternate personnel as it relates to the position of solicitor."
Baig's resignation has recently caused the rescheduling of the court session originally set at the first of this month.

The request for qualifications for the Porterdale solicitor position still stands on the town's website, where it has received no applications as of now.
Eric Russell announces candidacy for Porterdale City Council Post 1
Eric Russell
Eric Russell - photo by Special Photo
Special to The News
Updated: Aug 15, 2023, 6:12 PM
Published: Aug 15, 2023, 8:53 PM

PORTERDALE, Ga. – Eric Russell, resident of Porterdale, officially declared his candidacy for the position of Post 1 with the city council of Porterdale.  He and his wife moved to Porterdale and purchased one of the mill houses within Porterdale’s Historic District in 2022. He stated, “We loved the charm and character of not only the houses, but also the history behind what Porterdale had been, along with the possibility of what the village could become.

I retired from law enforcement after 27 years and have always felt called toward public service.  I saw running for city council as a way to continue that service in the community, albeit in a much different role.”  Russell had begun a career in law enforcement in 1988 and had served in numerous areas within the Wichita Falls Police Department in Texas, including being a Crimes Against Persons detective as well as being promoted through the ranks of the department until retiring in 2015 as the Captain over the Patrol Division.

“I had been tasked with the implementation of the in-car computer system for the department prior to retirement and am proud of having successfully helped bring that department into the modern age of policing through the use of a computerized dispatching and report writing system.”  Russell also said, “I feel I have skills within the area of long term logistical planning that can be beneficial for the village of Porterdale in order to help continue to move toward a future that will reflect growth as well as keeping the nuances of the past that were formed by having the mill here in the community.”  

Russell stated that his vision would be to promote progress, preservation and prosperity here within the village while maintaining a sound fiscal position. 

“I have talked to many people and asked a lot of questions especially given the past legacies of the village.  I have attended almost every council meeting, including the annual planning retreat in order to become aware of as much information as possible before deciding to run for a council post.  I believe that civic duty calls for dedication and the donation of personal time in order to make a difference in people’s lives.”