David McElwee, a Cedartown native, is the new assistant manager of Polk County.

He was selected from a pool of 41 job applicants, according to Polk County Manager Matt Denton.

“David is qualified and has skills that will prove important to us now and in the future,” Denton said. “We had a number of qualified people interested in the position but he was the top contender.”

McElwee said there have been many changes in Polk since he enlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard in 1989 and he wants to take an active role in future changes in the county.

“I want to promote countywide quality growth that will bring jobs to our community,” he said. “I also hope to be a part of plans that will provide a more cost effective and efficient government.”

His interests include communications, along with fire and public safety, which he feels will become more important in the future.

McElwee, a graduate of Cedartown High School, holds an associate’s degree in psychology from Floyd College and a bachelor’s degree in administrative leadership from the University of Oklahoma.

He recently returned from Afghanistan where he served with the 265th Regional Support Group of the Georgia Army National Guard.

During his military career, McElwee was a radio operator at the newly formed H Co. 122nd Long Range Surveillance Unit (LRSU) and completed over 125 Airborne Missions.

He was later accepted to the Counterdrug Program and served on the indoor-grow marijuana unit, the Governor’s Strike Force on Drugs and Violent Crime, and The Silent Watch Team.

His work on Counterdrug contributed to the arrest of more than 1,000 drug offenders.

He and his wife, Lynette, are parents of a son, Ethan, and affiliated with New Hope Baptist Church.

He is also a member of Caledonia Lodge No. 121 F&AM and Cedar Valley Shrine Club, both of Cedartown, and YAARAB Shrine Temple of Atlanta.