Calhoun City Board of Education member Eddie Hall resigned on Tuesday, citing a potential conflict of interest between his position on the board and his role as a business owner.

“As more people are getting into my business (screen-printing), there is a possibility that there’s going to be a conflict,” said Hall, owner of Eddie’s Tees & More in Calhoun. “The state statute says I can’t do business with the school system if there are two other people who do what I do.”

The statute that Hall was referring to is Georgia Code Title 20, Section 20-2-505, which reads in part: “(a) No member of any county board of education in this state shall sell to any county board any supplies or equipment used, consumed, or necessary in the operation of any public school in this state unless there are fewer than three sources for such supplies or equipment within the county…”

Hall, who indicated that he had taken bids on contracts from the school system in the past, said at least one other business in the city was similar to his.

Hall said he had only heard that another similar business was going to open, which he said would put him in violation of the statute.

So rather than wait, Hall said he preferred to be proactive and resign rather than run the risk of people thinking he was willfully violating the statute by staying on the board.

He said he didn’t know about the statute until someone pointed it out to him.

“(Attorneys) told me that if someone were to file a complaint we might be able fight it,” he said. “And there are some grey areas there. But when you are in a position of leadership with children, there are no grey areas.”

Hall’s resignation took effect at 11 p.m. Tuesday. He was in the final year of his term. Hall had been a member of the board since 2006.

“I really enjoyed doing this,” Hall said of being on the board. “It has been a labor of love and we’ve made great strides.”

Since there are fewer than 90 days until the next general election, local code gives the board the option to leave Hall’s spot vacant or to fill it through an application process.

“If all the board members cannot agree on a replacement we can agree to leave it vacant,” said board Chairwoman Amy Atkinson.

“We will receive resumes for the board to review and in our September meeting we will discuss them,” she said.

Hall’s resignation was met with tears by Calhoun City Schools Superintendent Michele Taylor and some board members.

“He’s been a true advocate for the students, teachers and parents,” Taylor said. “We will miss his leadership.” Atkinson told Hall that the schools had been “much better because you served.”