Pembroke City Council announced the three finalists for the city administrator position at its regular monthly meeting Monday night.

In the running are Charles Akridge of Moultrie, Wynn Carney of Pembroke and Franklin Etheridge of Demorest, personnel committee member Tiffany Walraven announced.

Carney is Pembroke’s city planner, a job he began in January 2008, and also has been a part-time Pembroke police officer a couple of years, City Clerk Betty Hill said.

Etheridge is currently the planning manager for Jackson County, and Akridge is unemployed, but was previously county manager for the Turner County Board of Commissioners, according to Hill.

Each candidate holds a masters degree in public administration -- Carney from Georgia Southern University, Etheridge from Troy State University and Akridge from Valdosta State University, Hill said.

Mayor Judy Cook said it wouldn’t be fair to comment on the candidates before the final decision was made.

"They’re all interesting and well qualified," she said. "We’ll make our decision after a 14-day waiting period from the announcement of our three finalists."

After 14 days, she said the city will hold would hold a called meeting to pick one of the three men.

In other business:

Bill Collins, Coordinator of the Bryan County Drug Free Coalition introduced his services to council and said his position was one of support and funding for substance abuse and intervention programs.

"I’m a prevention person," he said.

He said the focus of the BCDFC was on substance abuse prevention in the 11 to 25 year old range. The average onset age for a child to experiment with alcohol or drugs, 11.8, he said.

"Substance abuse problems affect everyone and cover every economic level," he said.

Collins said he worked with both the State and Federal government as a Federally paid employee to strengthen the laws concerning substance abuse and worked directly with the schools and children on total environment change programs toward prevention.

"At some point, we will sit down with the city governments of both Pembroke and Richmond Hill to make sure our ordinances on substance abuse are what they should be.

He also said the BCDFC was working on substance abuse prevention forums through different avenues like the schools, churches, and civic organizations and anyone who will listen and has concern for youth.

"Keep us informed and let us know what we can do," Cook said.

City employees will have the direct deposit option available soon.

The council voted unanimously to change the ending pay period from Wednesday to Tuesday in order to facilitate direction deposit for those who wanted it.

The change takes place effective April 1, 2009, according to Hill.