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“We may never know
for sure what caused it,”
sheriff John Cary Bittick
said of Friday’s wreck that
killed long-time county
commissioner Jim Ham.
What is known is that
Ham was traveling south
on Hwy. 41 South in his
burgundy-colored truck
at about 12:50 p.m. when
he drove off the right side
of the road, where the
shoulder drops off rapidly.
Lt. Brad Freeman of the
Monroe County sheriffs
office said Ham apparently
overcorrected in trying to
steer back onto the road,
causing his truck to roll
over two times before com
ing to rest right side up.
Freeman said Ham, who
wasn’t wearing his seat
belt, was ejected from the
truck during the crash.
Hill Road resident Holli
Clark was heading north
on Hwy. 41 about the same
time and saw Ham’s truck
careening toward her,
Workers clean debris off the roadway as Monroe County coronor Joey Proctor examines the scene
Friday of the fatal crash on Hwy. 41 that killed commissioner Jim Ham. (Photo/Richard Dumas)
see WRECK page 6A
www.mymcr.net • VOL. 45 N0.47* USPS 997-840
4 sections, 32 pages • Wednesday, December 7, 2016 • $1
Inside
Canes wipe
out Dogs
See Page 1B
Deaths
Jim Ham
Allie Thomas
Angela Douglas
Linda Pennington
Alice Mae Grier
See Page 6A
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‘It leaves a
BY RICHARD DUMAS
AND WILL DAVIS
While county officials prepare
a special election to fill
Jim Ham’s seat, his
many friends say the
long-time commissioner
can’t really be replaced,
as his influence outsized
even his massive frame.
“We’re gonna have
a huge void,” said his
long-time friend and
fellow cattle farmer
Butch Copelan. “He got
things done. Whether
you agreed or not, he was
working for the commu
nity.”
Election Superintendent Donna
Robins said a special District 2
election to replace Ham will likely
be held in early March. She said
she’s not sure when qualifying
will take place or whether there
will be party primaries before a
general election.
“I haven’t had to go through
this before,” said Robins, who said
she’s working with the county
commissioners office to set the
election.
Ham was re-elected as District 2
commissioner last month without
facing opposition in
the general primary.
Ham, who ran as a
Republican for the
first time in 2016,
defeated challenger
John Martin by 206
votes, 752 to 546, in
the May primary.
Ham, a beef cattle
farmer from Smarr,
has been a Monroe
County commissioner
since 1987, having
served four years as
chairman from 1992-96. Among
his many other accomplishments,
Ham was also a member of the
Development Authority of Monroe
County, a member of the Georgia
Farm Bureau Board and a past
president of the Association of
County Commissioners of Georgia
(ACCG).
Ham is survived by his wife
Lydia, son John, and countless
other relatives. See his full obitu
ary on page 6A.
Friends say the seat of long-time
will be hard to fill.
‘He could be
exasperating’
Copelan said he and Ham got to
be close when they served in the
Jaycee civic club together.
“He could be exasperating at
times,” said Copelan, “but you
comissioner Jim Ham, now vacant,
could always work out your prob
lems. You’d walk away and know
where you stood and you could
work it out. He was a true friend.”
Copelan said Ham loved a fish
fry with friends and they ate
see HAM page 5A
HAM
'he Miracle of Christmas
Christ Community Church won second place in Best in Show with its parade
float showing Victorian Christmas carolers at the Hometown Holidays parade on
Thursday. See more photos on page D8. (Photo/Kim Holderfield)
MP senior
killed on
Hwy. 42
The late
Dusty Fischer
A Mary Persons High
School student died and
another remained in ICU
on a ventilator after an
early Sunday morning
accident on Hwy. 42.
William Dustin “Dusty”
Fischer, 18, of Forsyth,
was pronounced dead at
see TEEN page 7A
One teen was killed and another remains hospitalized out
of four in this Chevy Camaro. (Special to the Reporter)