Ray Barrett, administrator of elections for the Davidson County Election Commission for the past six years, announced Wednesday he plans to resign by the end of the year.
Barrett, who has worked for the election commission in some capacity for 25 years, delivered the announcement at the commission’s Wednesday morning meeting.
The commission plans on working as a search committee to find a replacement.
Contacted by The City Paper, Barrett said, “It was just time.”
“I wanted to make this announcement now so that the commission will have plenty of time to choose my successor and for us to have a smooth transition,” Barrett said in a written statement, alluding to the fact that there’s only one general election and a run-off scheduled for 2011.
In 2004, Barrett replaced ousted election administrator Michael McDonald, a Democrat, who was fired by a 3-2 vote by the then-Democrat-controlled commission after the commission had become embroiled in controversy.
Today, following state legislative victories in 2008, Republicans hold three seats in the five-member commission, and presumably carry the votes to select their choice.