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Mayor and Council

City of Dahlonega Mayor & Council

The government of the City of Dahlonega is vested in a city council composed of a mayor and six council members. Each member serves a four-year term of office.

To be eligible to serve as mayor or a council member, the candidate must be a resident of the city for a period of one year immediately prior to the date of the election and continue to reside within the city during the period of service.

To be a candidate for mayor or the city council, you must be registered and qualified to vote in the municipal election of the City of Dahlonega and must meet the qualification standards required by the Georgia House of Representatives as of now, or may in the future, be prescribed by the Georgia Constitution.

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City Council Meetings


City Council

The corporate powers of the government of the City of Dahlonega are exercised by the Dahlonega City Council. The Dahlonega City Council is responsible for enacting ordinances, resolutions, and regulations governing the city.

Forty-nine specific powers of the city are enumerated in the city charter, including the following:

  • Levy and collection of property taxes
  • License fees
  • Franchise fees
  • Beer and wine taxes
  • Miscellaneous permit fees
  • Hotel/motel taxes
  • Sales taxes
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Councilman Gaddis is a native of Dahlonega/Lumpkin County, therefore, his interest in the City of Dahlonega is strong and runs deep. He enjoys being an active member of the community, and he is somewhat of a local celebrity as a musician playing mandolin with the local band Ugly Cousin.

Presently he serves as an active member of the University of North Georgia Alumni Association Board as well as a Sigma Chi Fraternity Chapter Advisor.

Councilman Gaddis brings immense knowledge, skill, and talent to the City of Dahlonega as he holds a BBA in Finance from the University of North Georgia and a Master of Education in Instructional Design and Development from the University of Georgia.

As Executive Director of Technology for Dawson County Schools and former Global Product Specialist for Pearson/PowerSchool, his professional experiences paired with his zest for innovative technologies aids in creating strategic plans for development and growth within Dahlonega.

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Ross graduated from North Georgia College (now UNG) and was commissioned as a 2LT in the US Army field artillery branch, where he served three years of active duty and several more in the Georgia National Guard. He worked as an analyst and supervisor at Georgia Power Company for 32 years prior to his retirement.

He and his wife Evelyn have lived in Dahlonega for 6 years. They live just a short walk from the square and enjoy the amenities associated with living close to the downtown section of Dahlonega. They own a short-term rental property. He serves on the board of directors for the North Georgia Cadet Corp Association. Leisure activities include visiting with family and friends, travel, and outdoor activities such as boating, fishing, and hunting. They have two children and three grandchildren.

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Councilman Ariemma is a long-time resident of Dahlonega, nearly 26-years. Both he and wife of 34-years, Catherine, raised their daughters in Dahlonega and the Lumpkin County School System and are active in the community. As an entrepreneur and businessman, Ariemma had the opportunity to retire from the corporate world nearly two decades ago. This allowed him to invest in Dahlonega. His property holdings include several commercial properties, including city businesses consisting of a hotel and private villas for overnight guests, and an event facility. This is Ariemma’s second time serving on the council.

Ariemma is a graduate of Northwood University with a BBA in Management / Computer Science and Finance. His work career has been primarily in the Automotive Refinishing industry. In 1995 he co-founded and was the principal owner of Single Source Inc, which is a national distributor for automotive refinishing products. Councilman Ariemma is currently active as a board member for the St. Vincent DePaul Society, providing much assistance to the needy of our community. As the founder of the Michigan Epsilon chapter of Phi Delta Theta international fraternity, councilman Ariemma is also the Chapter Advisory Board chairman and chapter advisor for the newly chartered Phi Delta Theta chapter at the University of North Georgia.

When the councilman is not riding motorcycles across the US and Canada, his love and passion are for his growing family (he just became a grandfather), historic preservation and keeping Dahlonega’s historic properties maintained. His practical business sense and love for Dahlonega provide a well-needed point of view on the city council.

Mayor

The Mayor is an elected position and is the Chief Executive Officer of the City of Dahlonega. The Mayor possesses all the executive and administrative powers granted to the city under the constitution and laws of the State of Georgia, and all the executive and administrative powers contained in the city charter.

The Mayor presides at all meetings of the council, votes as a member of the council only at such times as are necessary to break a tie or deadlock of the council and is the official head of the city for the service of process and for ceremonial purposes. The Mayor has the power to administer oaths and to take affidavits, sign all written contracts entered into by the council on behalf of the city and all other contracts and instruments executed by the city which by law are required to be in writing, sees that all laws and ordinances of the city are faithfully executed, and performs other duties as may be required by law, the city charter or ordinances or as otherwise directed by the city council.

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Residing in Dahlonega with her husband Ken since 2004, Mayor Taylor is an Alumna of Leadership Lumpkin Class of 2009. She has previously served the community as a volunteer with the Lumpkin County Literacy Coalition, Secretary of the Joint Development Authority of Dawson, Lumpkin and White Counties, Vice Chair of the Development Authority of Lumpkin County, and as a Corporate Board member with Connect North Georgia. She is Past President of the Community Helping Place, a volunteer mentor in the Lumpkin County School System since 2015 and has also served as Chair of the North Georgia Interfaith Ministry Jeremiah’s Place. She received Kids First recognition from Family Connection in 2018. She has served in City government since 2017. She serves on the collective boards at Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) which govern investments made for liability coverage, workman’s comp coverage, and retirement investments for GMA constituent cities. She is also the 1st Vice President for the Northeast Region of GMA, representing our region to state-wide interests for purposes of grants, programs, and legislative impact. She also serves on the Lumpkin County Board of Health. All net earnings from her role as Mayor are donated to local charities.

After a 32-year career with IBM, she retired from her position of Vice President in the Global Telecommunications Industry. She holds a BA in English Literature from Mercy College and is a Certified Sales Executive. Her extensive career included positions in global executive and line management, as a consultant and practice principal to the Utility industry, and in detailed technical roles.

Along with her service to our community she also enjoys time with her family, reading, observing birds in their natural habitat, singing choral music, traveling, golf and baking bread.


Mayor Taylor is very appreciative of the opportunity to serve in a community that she loves!