Search for New Leader Continues at Evermore CID

officials say that within a few weeks it hopes to name a new executive director for the embattled community improvement organization.

, the Snellville representative to the board, said at a recent meeting that the board of the Evermore Community Improvement District had interviewed four noteworthy candidates, but that it wanted to interview four more.

At the Snellville City Council meeting, Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer asked Lapides for an update, and why the need to interview more people.

"You had four candidates, did y'all take a vote on those candidates?" Oberholtzer asked.

"There was no vote taken as to which of those candidates would be the leader," Lapides said.

He added that after interviews with each of the candidates -- which has not been publicly revealed -- that there was some discussion as to who liked whom.

"Some of the candidates didn't get any appreciation, and some of the candidates did," Lapides said. "That's all I can tell you."

Finally, he said, the board decided it wanted to interview more people. Still, Lapides said, he was "pretty happy with the four that we interviewed."

"However," he added, "I'm just one member."

Evermore CID, a self-taxing association of property owners along U.S. Highway 78 through Gwinnett County, has been without a permanent director since it fired David Stedman in late 2010.

Conflict dates back earlier than that, as current state Rep. Brett Harrell was once the executive director, as well. He was ousted in 2009.

In addition to the loss of executive directors, the Evermore CID has also seen the resignation of many of its board members. Today, the board is made up of almost entirely new people from this time last year.

Current board members are:

• Thomas Carraway, Post 1, an executive with Brand Banking in Lawrenceville.
• Brad Williams, Post 2, who is with Williams Adair Realty Corp. in Stone Mountain.
• Chris Garner, Post 3, a Duluth businessman with Garner Building Supply.
• Ron Harrison, Post 4, vice president at Dwight Harrison Volkswagen, which is located in Snellville.
• Chip Adair, Post 5, also of Williams Adair Realty Corp. He is the son of the late Forrest Adair, a founding CID member.
• Kenny King, Post 6, of King Family Properties.
• Gary Lapides, City of Snellville appointee, is a member of the city's Parks and Recreation board
• Stacy Patterson, Gwinnett County appointee, is the owner of Furniture Village in Stone Mountain.

, chief operating officer of Emory Eastside Medical Center, was named to the board back in January for Post 2, replacing Don Robinson. But, Brad Williams of Williams Adair Realty is now in that position.