A judge has been named to hear Carroll County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bill Chappell’s appeal of an ongoing recall effort, though the formal paperwork has yet to be filed in Carroll County.

On Tuesday, Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Doris Downs signed an order that would name Griffin Judicial Circuit Judge Christopher C. Edwards to hear Chappell’s appeal. The order will likely be filed with Carroll County Clerk of Courts Allen Lee’s office by the end of the week, if not sooner, according to Edwards’ office.

Judge Quillian Baldwin, a superior court judge in Troup County, was initially tapped on Oct. 16 to name a judge outside of Carroll County’s judicial district to then, in turn, name a judge to hear the appeal.

A date for the appeal hearing has yet to be established, though once a date is set, Edwards will hear evidence as to the alleged crimes and wrongdoings the chairman has committed and then decide whether any of his past actions warrant a recall. The group that filed the recall application several weeks ago, Citizens for the Future of Carroll County, a nonprofit political action committee, maintains that Chappell is guilty of all five of the recall-worthy acts: malfeasance while in office, violating his oath of office, committing an act of misconduct in office, willfully misusing, converting, or misappropriating, without authority, public property or public funds entrusted to or associated with the elective office to which he has been elected, and failure to perform the duties of the chairman as prescribed by law. If the judge finds merit in even one of the five acts, the recall process will go forward.

As part of the application, the group included a list of what the application itself refers to as “facts upon which the recall is based,” essentially noting the reasons why the committee feels Chappell should be recalled.

This section of the application reads in its entirety, “As Carroll County Commission Chairman has committed the following acts of misconduct: (a) violated O.C.G.A. 21-2-414(f) by wrongfully being in an area where early voting was occurring; (b) entered into contracts exceeding his authority under County Ordinance 8(a)(22); (c) misappropriated county funds by unauthorized personal monthly car allowances and having the County pay registration fees for Sue Horn, his longtime girlfriend but listed on the registration form as his spouse; (d) violated the Georgia Open Meeting Statute by discussing an IT services contract in closed meeting when no threat of litigation existed; (e) failed to perform duties prescribed by law by failing to present contracts and other matters to the Board of Commissioners; (f) misused SPLOST funds for settlements and inappropriate purchases; (g) abused his authority by usurping the Board of Commissioners’ authority and by using county funds and resources for the benefit of selected supporters, including Wayne Garner; and (h) violated his oath of office by violating the Times-Georgian’s First Amendment rights, as well as his violations of state law and county ordinances as reflected herein.”

A one-time nomination for the Georgia Supreme Court, Edwards has been a superior court judge for 10 years. Before that, he was a prosecutor and a private practice attorney.