Habersham County Board of Elections selects 2023 leadership

The Habersham County Board of Elections has chosen Paul Cordella, left, as chairman and Robert Parker as vice chairman.

The Habersham County Board of Elections has selected its leadership for 2023.
Paul Cordella will return as chairman of the board, while Robert Parker was elected vice chairman.

That election occurred during a scheduled meeting Thursday afternoon, Jan. 19.

“I just took on my third term as chairman,” Cordella said. “The position itself is an honor to do it and I feel like I’m actually able to help give back to the county. I moved here about 13 years ago and love living in Habersham County.”

Cordella said he appreciates the confidence his fellow board members have in his leadership.

“As chairman, I get to control what goes in our meetings and keep the process rolling,” Cordella said. “Everybody in our group, both Republican and Democrats, we all do get along very well, and we get everything done that we’re supposed to.”

Cordella said he has full confidence in the integrity of Habersham County elections, adding the board credits the success of balloting to Election Supervisor Laurel Ellison and her staff.

“Laurel runs a really tight ship,” Cordella said. “Being involved in all the elections, even back in 2020 the way things transpired with so many mail-in ballots – what we had to go through. Everything, all the counts came out absolutely perfect. There were no questions with anything with the county here with our elections.”

The five-member Habersham County Board of Elections and Registration is made up of two appointees each from the Habersham County Democratic Party and Habersham County Republican Party and one at-large appointment made by the county commission.

Other members of the board include Jannette Byrom, Kathy Osborne, and Carolyn Steinhaus, who served as vice chairman in 2022.