ATLANTA - Hall County Clerk of Courts Charles Baker has been reappointed to the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority as has Clarkesville attorney Jim Weidner. The re-appointments were made by Gov. Nathan Deal.<br />
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Several other northeast Georgians have been appointed or reappointed by Deal to state boards and commissions. <br />
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J. David Smith of Rabun Gap, chairman of the Rabun County Board of Education, was named to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission; Lamar Paris of Blairsville, sole commissioner of Union County, was picked to serve on the Public Defenders Standards Council; and Jay Bulot of Suwanee was reappointed to the Statewide Independent Living Council.<br />
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Below is more on each appointee and the name of the group each will serve:<br />
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J. David Smith, Georgia Professional Standards Commission<br />
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Smith is chairman of the Rabun County Board of Education. He has practiced law in Clayton since 1982 and currently serves as a judge for the city of Clayton. He is a member of the Clayton Rotary Club and serves on the Rabun County Habitat for Humanity Board. Smith earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of West Georgia and a law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Susan, have two sons. They reside in Rabun Gap.<br />
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Charles Baker, Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority (reappointment)<br />
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Baker is clerk of the Hall County Superior and State Court. Before his election to clerk of court in 2008, he served the public for 30 years as a deputy clerk for the Hall County Superior and State Court, including seven years as chief deputy clerk. He and his wife, Glenda, have one daughter and two grandsons. They are active members of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and reside in Gainesville.<br />
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James C. "Jim" Weidner, Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority (reappointment)<br />
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Weidner is a partner and managing member of the law firm Oliver & Weidner, LLC. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Tallulah Falls School, where he was elected secretary of the board of trustees in 2014 and has been on the executive committee and audit committee since 2012. He is chairman of the board of the United Way of Habersham County and is on the board of directors for the Habersham Medical Center Foundation. He is a member of the Habersham Chamber of Commerce, White County Chamber of Commerce and is an organizing director for Southern Bank & Trust and is secretary of its parent corporation, Southern Bancorp. Weidner earned a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a law degree from Georgia State University. He and his wife, Susan, have four children. They are members of Bethlehem Baptist Church and reside in Clarkesville.<br />
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Lamar Paris, Public Defenders Standards Council (reappointment)<br />
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Paris is serving his fourth term as Union County's sole commissioner. He was a real estate developer and owner of Paris Finance Co. Inc. prior to his election to office. He previously served as state president of the Association of County Commissioners in 2010. Paris earned a bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Dinah, have one daughter. They reside in Blairsville.<br />
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James "Jay" Bulot, Statewide Independent Living Council (reappointment)<br />
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Bulot is an applied gerontologist with more than 18 years of experience in the field of aging services. He is the director of the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services. He served as chair of the Georgia Alzheimer's and Related Dementia Task Force and currently chairs the Georgia Alzheimer's and Related Dementia Council. He is vice-president of the National Association of States United for Aging and Disability. Bulot earned a master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts. He and his wife, Lisa, have two children. They reside in Suwanee.
