MITCHELL COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — Frustration is boiling over in Mitchell County as residents mobilize a formal effort to recall three of their elected county commissioners.

The push comes in the wake of a controversial June 29 vote to rezone approximately 300 acres of agricultural land to industrial use, clearing the way for an approximately 1,000-megawatt natural gas power generation facility near Baconton.

However, the county zoning director says the design, exact capacity, and other project specifications have not yet been finalized.

RELATED: Rumored data center power plant raises concerns in Mitchell County

The recall effort targets Keith Jones (District 2), Julius Hatcher (District 4), and David Griner (District 5), the three available commissioners eligible for recall under Georgia law.

Lauren Dorminy, a District 5 resident who is leading the petition drive in her district, confirmed that organizers successfully gathered and submitted the first 100 required signatures to start the formal process for Commissioner Griner on Monday, Aug. 10.

“We gathered the necessary 100 signatures for David Griner’s district... and we turned that in on Monday to the election superintendent to begin the process,” Dorminy said. “Once the other two commissioners’ recall signatures reach 100, those will be turned in to start the process as well.”

Under Georgia’s recall law, if the initial 100 signatures are verified and accepted by the local election board, organizers must then gather signatures from 30% of the district’s registered voters to force a special recall election.

A 1,500-megawatt surprise

According to residents, the backlash began when they learned of the scale of the proposed project, which is being linked to utility giant NextEra Energy. Many say they were kept in the dark about the plans.

“We started the petition because on June the 29th, the community of Baconton learned of a 1,500-megawatt facility that the commissioners voted to rezone from agricultural to industrial,” Dorminy explained. “This is going to be a huge power plant. The public was largely unaware of something this large coming to our neighborhood.”

While the facility was being approved, residents noted activity on the site starting even before the official rezoning vote took place. A large red drill—described as a cross between a water well drill and an oil rig—was spotted on the property for weeks leading up to the end of June. Though it was briefly removed after the vote, residents reported drill trucks returned to the active farmland as of Aug. 12.

Demanding transparency and accountability

For many in Mitchell County, the recall is about more than just a single land-use vote—it’s a demand for basic transparency in local government.

Quincy Haywood, a Pelham resident and newly appointed member of the Mitchell County Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, says residents in the northern part of the county have felt ignored by their elected representatives.

“For too long, it seems like the citizens of north Mitchell County haven’t been heard. They’re being ignored by their elected officials,” Haywood said. “It shouldn’t have come to us having to try to recall just to get our voices heard. The citizens didn’t really want to recall these people, but this is the only way we can get our voices heard.”

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Haywood clarified that residents are not universally opposed to technology or development, but they object to heavy industrial facilities, data centers, and solar farms being forced into quiet residential backyards.

“These people don’t want to walk out their backyard and see solar panels. They don’t want to have a barbecue and hear the humming noise,” Haywood said, pointing out that some elements of the proposed facility sit just 100 to 200 feet from residential property lines.

He also highlighted serious environmental and infrastructure concerns, including the massive water draw from local aquifers.

“A lot of people want to know what’s going to happen with the water. Are the wells going to run dry? And if they do run dry, is NextEra going to pay them for that? Dig their wells deeper?”

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Critics call opposition ‘misinformed’

Tensions have been heightened by comments from local development officials. Mitchell County Development Authority Executive Director James Eubanks reportedly labeled the opposing residents as a “small, misinformed group of people.”

However, Haywood argues that if the community is misinformed, it’s because local officials have operated behind closed doors.

“If they’re misinformed and he knows they’re misinformed, why would you tell NextEra not to come to the meeting? You should let them explain, inform the people,” Haywood said, citing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and the need for public records requests to uncover emails about the project. “You want to call them misinformed; you’re part of the reason they’re misinformed. As an elected official, inform them.”

Two paths forward for residents

Organizers are currently pursuing two separate legal strategies to challenge the county’s decision:

1. The Recall Petitions: Led by Steven Humphries (handling Districts 2 and 4) and Lauren Dorminy (handling District 5), aimed at removing the commissioners who voted in favor of the rezoning
2. A Voter Referendum: A separate petition is circulating that aims to collect signatures from 20% of Mitchell County’s registered voters. If successful, this petition would automatically force the rezoning decision itself to a public ballot vote.

“If we get 20 percent of registered voters in Mitchell County to sign this petition, it will push the rezoning decision to a vote so that people would have a choice,” Dorminy said.

For Haywood, the stakes are generational.

“These people have worked this land years and years for generations and want to pass it down. But who wants to buy this land or raise their kids up on land with a power plant 100 feet away?”

You can find a full statement from Keith Jones, Commissioner, Mitchell County Board of Commissioners below:

“In light of the recall effort, I want to be clear that I fully respect citizens’ constitutional right to petition their government and hold their elected officials accountable. People have every right to raise concerns and disagree with decisions we make.

However, I believe some of the claims being made about my actions and about the work of the Board of Commissioners are misleading. That is why I felt it was important to address this directly.

I am speaking in my personal capacity. I do not speak on behalf of the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners as a whole, nor on behalf of any other commissioner in their personal capacity.

Every major development project that comes before the Board goes through an established, transparent process. Large-scale projects are vetted by our planning board and, often, by our development authority before they ever reach the Board of Commissioners. By the time we vote, commissioners have received information in advance, reviewed it, and then made decisions based on the facts, existing ordinances, and our comprehensive plan for Mitchell County.

Everything we have done has been above board and within our legal authority. That does not mean everyone will agree with every decision, and they should not be expected to. Disagreement is part of a healthy democracy. What I ask is that we remain cordial and professional with one another and focus on facts rather than personal attacks on commissioners or fellow citizens.

Since I have served on the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners, I have never been part of anything with nefarious intent. I work to represent the best interests of our citizens, and I believe my fellow commissioners do the same. We constantly look for ways to improve our processes. Our county administrator is already reviewing our procedures and will be bringing recommendations to the Board on how we can strengthen them further.

I also want residents to know that when they call me, I respond. They may not always agree with my decisions, but I listen, I answer, and I do my best to serve.

I am not concerned about the recall effort. It will move through the proper process, and whatever the outcome, I will respect it. In the meantime, I will continue to focus on doing the job I was elected to do: serving the people of Mitchell County District 2″.

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