School board member Katrina McCollum Young announced she is exploring a bid for the Democratic nomination for the Post 2 Commission seat, currently held by Commissioner JaNice Van Ness.

Young, the current Post 2 school board member, is holding a fundraising breakfast and campaign kickoff event on Sept. 21, 9 a.m. - noon at Cameron Hall, 1035 Green Street.

In a released statement, she said "As a school board member, I have had the opportunity to work and view Rockdale County from various angles - education, economic development, citizen participation, et cetera. There is clearly a connection between excellent public schools, business growth and a solid community. I am excited about the potential to serve Rockdale County as a County Commissioner. Together we have accomplished a lot with Rockdale County Public Schools, but we still have work to do in Rockdale County. I hope that through my efforts I have earned your trust and support for an opportunity to serve as your Post 2 County Commissioner."

Young said she started thinking about running for Post 2 Commissioner at the beginning of this year and prayed about it for quite a while. She has been the Post 2 school board member, a non-partisan seat, since 2006. Her second term is up at the end of 2014 and she was facing the decision of whether she wanted to run for reelection or not.

"I thought this is a good transition point," she said by phone. She said she is still committed to serving the youth and the community. "I do love my county." Running for commissioner would be "taking it to a larger level."

Young, a fourth generation Rockdale native, is the Fourth District Director for the Georgia School Boards Association in her work with the school board. She and her husband Simeon, both Rockdale County High School graduates, have raised their two children in Rockdale County.

She is currently an adjunct faculty member at Georgia Piedmont Technical College. Previously she was a human resources administrator at General Mills. She is a member of Springfield Baptist Church.

Dawn Butler is listed as Young's campaign manager and Mary Van Meter is listed as treasurer.

Van Ness is serving her second term as Post 2 Commissioner. In 2011, Courtney Dillard and Cayce Dix had battled for the Democratic nomination, with Dillard going on to face Van Ness, who was unchallenged in the Republican primary. Van Ness received 52.9 percent, or 14,023 votes, to win the general election.

Van Ness said it was too early to comment on whether she would be running for reelection.

The tentative qualifying dates for a May 20, 2014 primary election are March 3, 2014, starting at 9 a.m., and closing on March 7, 2014 at noon.