RINGGOLD — A former LaFayette city manager is among the finalists for the county manager’s post in Catoosa County.

David Aldrich, who served as LaFayette city manager from 1985 to 1998, is one of three candidates for the job.

A new Catoosa County manager will likely be selected April 21.

Catoosa commissioners narrowed a list of 21 candidates for the position to three, said Ron Brown, the county’s human resources director. Commissioners will interview the three remaining candidates April 15, Brown said.

Besides Aldrich, who now lives Hogansville, the top three candidates are Interim County Manager J.D. Byrd and Patricia Mitchell of Greenville, N.C.

Aldrich has 23 years experience in city management. He is former city manager of Hogansville, serving from 1998- 2003. He has a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Georgia Southern University.

Byrd, who has 14 years in city and county government, took the interim position following the resignation of former County Manager Ed Vickrey in January. He served as Catoosa County assistant county manager since February 2003. He worked as Dade County manager from 1999 prior to being hired by Catoosa County.

Byrd earned his doctorate in administration and leadership with a major in policy planning and analysis, and a specialist in education degree in administration leadership from Florida State University. He has a master’s degree in education and a master’s degree in public administration from Valdosta State College.

Mitchell is an assistant professor and director of graduate and undergraduate internships at East Carolina University. She formerly was a research assistant for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and finance and business manager for First United Methodist Church of Duluth, Ga.

She has doctorate and master’s degrees in public administration from The University of Georgia, and also earned a bachelor’s degree in English and social sciences from Berry College