Cherokee County, GA elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Cherokee County: 16 seats on 7 elected bodies. 6 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of Commissioners

Cherokee County Board of Commissioners

OfficeWho holds it nowNext term
Commission ChairHarry B. Johnston Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 1Will Cagle Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner, District 2Richard Weatherby Republican source
County Commissioner, District 3Benny Carter Republican source
County Commissioner, District 4Corey Ragsdale Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

County officers

OfficeWho holds it now
Clerk of Superior CourtPatty Baker Republican source
CoronerSally Sims Republican source
County SurveyorRon R. Wikle Jr. Republican source
SheriffFrank Reynolds Republican source
Tax CommissionerDenise Mastroserio Republican source

School Board

Cherokee County Board of Education

OfficeWho holds it nowNext term
Board of Education ChairJanet S. Read Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 1Kelly Kind Poole Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 2Patsy Jordan Republican source
Board of Education Member, District 3Chance Beam Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 4Rick Steiner Rechsteiner Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Board of Education Member, District 5Erin Ragsdale Republican sourceOn the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Cherokee County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 10 local governments in Cherokee County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of governmentCensus count (2022)Listed on this page
County government11
Cities, towns, villages and townships50
School districts (school boards)11
Special districts (elected boards)30

Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).

About these counts

The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.

Who lives in Cherokee County

281,032people
40.2median ageU.S.: 38.9
$108,115 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
7%below the U.S.: 12.5%
41.1%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$435,100median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
10.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
10.4%U.S.: 8.4%
56.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
21.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 12.4% · White 73.9% · Black 7% · Asian 2.4% · Other or more than one race 4.3% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)

Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).

About these figures

The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.

Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.

Jobs in Cherokee County

3.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.8%. Georgia: 3.5%.
4,771people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
153,833people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
158,604in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Cherokee County 0.0%1.3%2.5%3.8%5.0% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)3.0%4,771153,833158,604
August 20262.9%4,480152,641157,121
July 20262.6%4,107152,022156,129
June 20263.0%4,717152,593157,310
May 20262.6%4,133152,638156,771
April 20262.4%3,673152,430156,103
March 20262.8%4,430151,741156,171
February 20263.1%4,735150,466155,201
January 20262.9%4,529149,806154,335
December 20252.7%4,129150,337154,466
November 20253.0%4,612149,936154,548
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20252.8%4,266149,925154,191
August 20253.1%4,679148,510153,189
July 20252.9%4,464149,274153,738
June 20253.0%4,657149,507154,164
May 20252.8%4,241149,229153,470
April 20252.4%3,710149,594153,304
March 20252.9%4,429149,064153,493
February 20253.0%4,534148,219152,753
January 20252.8%4,335148,278152,613
December 20242.5%3,774148,571152,345
November 20242.7%4,174148,083152,257
October 20242.7%4,193148,736152,929
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)2.8%4,369149,261153,630
20242.8%4,305149,116153,421
20232.6%3,980146,961150,941
20222.5%3,618143,277146,895
20212.6%3,753139,044142,797
20204.8%6,510129,499136,009
20192.9%3,979134,123138,102
20183.2%4,281130,837135,118
20173.8%5,017127,426132,443
20164.3%5,435119,861125,296

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Georgia's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.3% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.

Crime reported in Cherokee County

69.4 per 100,0002018. Georgia: 338.9.
1,025.3 per 100,0002018. Georgia: 2,642.9.
0murders2018, 176 violent crimes in all.

2018 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.

By police agency (6)
AgencyYearViolentPropertyPeople served
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office2025171781195,231
Woodstock Police Department20253633540,492
Canton Police Department20254724439,311
Holly Springs Police Department202507421,102
Ball Ground Police Department2025033,567
Nelson Police Department2018001,372

Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Georgia · the U.S.

Quick answers

Who is the Cherokee County Clerk of Superior Court?
Patty Baker (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Cherokee County, Georgia.
Who is the Cherokee County Coroner?
Sally Sims (Republican) is the Coroner of Cherokee County, Georgia.
Who is the Cherokee County County Surveyor?
Ron R. Wikle Jr. (Republican) is the County Surveyor of Cherokee County, Georgia.
Who is the Cherokee County Sheriff?
Frank Reynolds (Republican) is the Sheriff of Cherokee County, Georgia.
Who is the Cherokee County Tax Commissioner?
Denise Mastroserio (Republican) is the Tax Commissioner of Cherokee County, Georgia.
Who are the Cherokee County commissioners?
Harry B. Johnston (Commission Chair); Will Cagle (District 1); Richard Weatherby (District 2); Benny Carter (District 3); Corey Ragsdale (District 4).
Who is on the Cherokee County School Board?
Janet S. Read (Board of Education Chair); Kelly Kind Poole (Board of Education Member, District 1); Patsy Jordan (Board of Education Member, District 2); Chance Beam (Board of Education Member, District 3); Rick Steiner Rechsteiner (Board of Education Member, District 4); Erin Ragsdale (Board of Education Member, District 5).
What is the population of Cherokee County?
About 281,032 people, with a median age of 40.2; the median household income is $108,115 and 7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Cherokee County?
3.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 4,771 people unemployed in a labor force of 158,604, against 2.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Cherokee County?
10 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 5 municipal, 1 school district and 3 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Georgia Secretary of State's official results of each seat's last election (the November 2024 general, or a special election since), and for seats up in 2026 whose 2022 result the SOS site doesn't carry, the incumbent the SOS marks on that seat's 2026 primary, nonpartisan or November contest; officials appointed since then may differ; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.

Cherokee County's 2026 ballot and results · Every Georgia county · Georgia's members of Congress

See your members of Congress and every race and measure on your ballot in Cherokee County, from your address. Your address stays in your browser.Look up my races

See something wrong on this page? Report a problem · Corrections