PERRY, Ga. — Editor's note: Video in this story is from a piece on acting DA William Kendall.
It's been four months since George Hartwig resigned as Houston County's district attorney.
So far, Gov. Brian Kemp hasn't appointed an interim replacement, and William Kendall continues as "acting" district attorney.
Kemp's office says they expect to make an announcement "soon," but didn't provide any details.
According to Peter Skandalakis, head of the Georgia Prosecuting Attorneys' Council, the governor is not required to appoint an interim DA, and there's no time limit for him to do that.
Hartwig was re-elected to a four-year term in Nov. 2020 and Kemp could -- if he chooses -- leave Kendall in office until the end of that term in 2024.
In previous cases, the governor has moved faster. When Kemp appointed the Cherokee Circuit DA to a judge's post in February, he named her replacement about nine weeks later.
Kendall said the governor's office in November interviewed him and three other candidates for the interim job, but he doesn't know Kemp's timetable to fill the post.
Under state law, Kemp says, he currently isn't eligible to hold the interim DA job because he hasn't practiced law in Georgia for three full years.
Kendall says he'll hit that milestone next May and he speculates that Kemp could keep him as "acting" DA until then.
"I guess if anybody had any concerns about my ability to do the job, they would have moved a little faster by now," said Kendall.
Last week, 13WMAZ asked the governor's spokeswoman, Katie Byrd, about Kemp's plans to fill the job.
By email, she responded, "We should be able to announce something on this soon, but we don’t have anything just yet. We have noted your interest in this matter."