More than a few of Fayette’s politicians will be sweating next week as qualifying opens for two County Commission posts and two school board positions.

The county’s elections are always interesting for the hard-core political fans, but this year’s elections could lead to a dramatic shift in how the county is governed and developed.

In the County Commission races, Chairman Greg Dunn and Vice-Chair Linda Wells are up for re-election. Dunn already has one announced opponent, attorney Eric Maxwell of Peachtree City.

Maxwell is also a prominent member of the Peachtree City Rotary Club, which is the closest the county has to a “kingmaker” organization. Peachtree City Mayor Harold Logsdon received the blessing of the club and soundly whipped former Mayor Steve Brown and other candidates in the city election and run-off last fall.

Maxwell also has weighed in on the ongoing controversy between Sheriff Randall Johnson and the County Commission and dismisses most of the legal jockeying as overwrought.

It’s no secret that Johnson, sheriff since the late 1970s, wants Dunn gone, and Maxwell could win the race with Johnson and the Rotary Club behind him. Of course, there may be other candidates that announce next week, but there haven’t been any rumblings recently about any other challenges to Dunn.

So far, Wells has not had anyone publicly announce for her position. But the word on the street is that banker Sam Chapman is looking to throw his hat in the ring. Chapman ran in the last commission race and was defeated by Peter Pfeifer.

But Chapman’s feeling his oats after placing his money on the correct horse in last month’s election to replace A. G. VanLandingham. Chapman served as campaign manager for Robert Horgan, now serving out the final three years of VanLandingham’s term.

Over the past two years, the spat between the commissioners and the sheriff has spilled a lot of ink on these pages, so that’s sure to be a major item in the July election.

But the real issue that should be examined is development philosophy. During their tenure in office, Dunn and Wells have used the county’s land use plan as an almost sacred document. It’s almost reminiscent of those old black and white vampire movies when the hero would flash a crucifix and the vampire would slither back into the night. Countless developers have left County Commission meetings with their spirits crushed after having the land use plan invoked.

Dunn and Wells, along with Pfeifer, have formed a three-vote majority that effectively keeps denser growth from happening in unincorporated Fayette County.

Commissioner Herb Frady has differed on many votes with the majority, and is certainly more developer-friendly. Newly-elected Commissioner Horgan hasn’t said enough at two meetings to offer his opinion, but it may be telling that Frady was the only one to show up at his swearing-in ceremony.

Also, Horgan’s campaign manager Chapman is in the mortgage banking business and could be expected to prefer more development rather than less.

If either Dunn or Wells lose, the floodgates could open to more development in the county. The county is definitely changing demographically and many residents may want a more urban development scheme than the traditional suburban efforts that have been the county’s model for more than 20 years.

Another interesting factor during next week’s qualifying will be the race issue. During the special election, vanquished candidate Emory Wilkerson’s first blustery comment was that his race cost him the election.

But in examining the results on a precinct by precinct basis, Wilkerson also lost the strong minority foothold of northern Fayette County.

It wasn’t race that lost the election; it was smugness. Wilkerson was the appointed candidate by the county’s Republican Party machine powered by Marilyn Watts and her son, Lane.

In years past, the Watts’ seal of approval was all that was necessary to get an election win. No more. The county has changed and a whole generation of folks don’t know who the Watts are and don’t care about endorsements. Folks are now beginning to focus on issues, which should make for an interesting electoral season.

On the school board side of the equation, Greg Powers and Lee Wright are up for re-election this year. The school board has usually not garnered headlines and has quietly gone about its business of imposing the most taxes of any government entity on the Fayette taxpayer.

But this year, things have been different. Two controversies have dogged the board and it will be interesting to see if there are any challengers to the entrenched school board members.

The first controversy came when the board backed away from setting new boundaries for the county’s elementary students. Parents in Peachtree City bombarded the board with tales of overcrowded classrooms at Peachtree City Elementary, while classrooms at nearby Kedron and Crabapple Lane set vacant.

Shortly after the board rode out that storm, more residents complained that an inordinate number of out-of-county students were attending Fayette County schools.

The school system has repeatedly said it was doing everything it could to address the illegal student controversy, but there’s a lingering public perception that many Fulton and Clayton students are still illegally attending school here.

Will an angry parent step forward and decide to throw his or her hat in the ring or will the populace decide the current school board has been a good steward of their money and child’s education?

For their part, both Powers and Wright have been pretty laid-back members. The changing demographics of Fayette could also play a role in these two elections.

The final factor in the four elections is the role of the Democratic Party. If the party fields any candidate, the election results won’t be known until November. But if no Democrats qualify, residents could see new commissioners and school board members elected in July.

For years, residents have stayed behind the scenes and generally assumed the elected politicians would serve their interests. But, the county is no longer the same placid county of the last 20 years. It’s a new day and this year’s elections could portend a sea of changes for the county.

Qualifying for candidates runs April 24-27 from 9 a.m-5 p.m. and April 28 from 9 a.m.-noon.

Democratic candidates should qualify at the Fayette County Democratic Party at Judy Chidester’s office at 111 Petrol Point, Suite 204 in Peachtree City.

Republican candidates can qualify at the part’s headquarters at 125 Commerce Drive, Suite 1 in Fayetteville.

Qualifying fees for County Commission candidates are $609.22, while school board qualifying fees are $180. All terms run from 2007-2010.

As Bette Davis said in “All About Eve,” “Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”