Finalist Named For Cherokee County Manager; Board To Vote Tuesday

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — Deputy County Manager Geoff Morton has been named the sole finalist on the short list to replace County Manager Jerry Cooper.

Cooper will retire at the end of May after 20 years of service as county manager.

Under the Georgia Open Records Act, a short list of up to three candidates must be made public prior to the board of commissioners’ vote. The vote is expected at the May 18 Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meeting.

“Jerry Cooper has been an exceptional county manager,” said Chairman Harry Johnston. “His retirement marks the end of a great era for Cherokee County. We’re really fortunate that we have someone in-house as capable and universally respected as Geoff Morton to replace Jerry. The board of commissioners trusts Geoff completely to maintain what’s great about our county and keep us moving forward.”

Morton, who has been with the county for 19 years, said he is honored to be selected for the short list.

“I am humbled to be chosen as the sole finalist for county manager. I’ve worked with Jerry for about 25 years, and he’s been a great mentor and role model,” Morton said. “I want to thank the board of commissioners for putting their faith in me, and I will strive to serve the board of commissioners, other county elected officials, county staff and the citizens of Cherokee County to the best of my ability.”

The county manager serves as a key advisor to the board of commissioners and manages at the corporate level in the execution of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners’ strategic plan.

Additionally, the county manager provides guidance and assistance to the senior leadership team in the execution of department and division business plans and programs.

Morton currently serves as the Community Development Agency director and deputy county manager. He is the municipal liaison to address city and county relations and as the spokesperson for the board of commissioners as it relates to Service Delivery Strategy. Additionally, Morton also serves as the county liaison with regional agencies including the Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta Regional Commission (Transportation and Stormwater), Georgia Environmental Protection Department (Stormwater) and FEMA (flood control).

Morton came to the county in 2001 from the city of Woodstock where he previously served as city
engineer and public works director. His first role with the county was capital projects/roadway SPLOST manager before being promoted to county engineer in 2003. During a 2011 staff reorganization, Morton became the public works agency director/county engineer and managed operations of the county’s engineering department, stormwater department, roadway SPLOST program, CATS transportation program, roads and bridges department, fleet services division, property maintenance division, and recycling program.

In 2018, Morton’s title changed to community development agency director where he manages the operations of the engineering department, stormwater department, roadway SPLOST program, public works department (formerly roads and bridges), planning and zoning department, building and development services department, and the development service center. He was named deputy county manager in 2020.

Morton graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1986. After college, he worked in the private sector as a consulting engineer in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He is a registered professional engineer in the states of Georgia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.