The stakes are high. The choice is stark. Most important, the time is now.

The Fulton County Republican Party is holding their bi-annual convention tomorrow morning at Sandy Springs Middle School. At issue is the County Republican Chairmanship.

Three candidates are vying to replace outgoing Chairman Shawn Hanley, who resigned his Fulton County Republican Party leadership role after three very productive years at the helm to run for Republican state chairman. Hanley's fate will be decided at the GOP state convention on May 15 in Macon.

The clear frontrunner in the race is Roger Bonds, from Milton, who currently serves as the Fulton County Republican Party breakfast and events chairman. Bonds, appointed by Hanley to the high profile posts, performed admirably.

The long shot is current Party treasurer Charlie Wingo, a 51-year veteran of Republican politics who makes the trains run on time. Wingo's contributions to the Fulton County GOP run long and deep. He's a fine man with a powerful political resume.

Both Bonds and Wingo, quintessential political insiders, represent the entrenched establishment set of the Party.

Either candidate would be acceptable under normal conditions.

But these times are anything but normal and these conditions are not the least bit model.

The Federal government is running amuck in red ink. The state of Georgia is trying to fund a $2 billion budget gap. And Fulton County is awash in corruption, pet project boondoggles and operational inefficiencies that go beyond the pale.

President Obama is running for re-election in 2012. Obama lost Georgia by a mere five percentage points in 2008. His operatives are targeting the Peach State as a key component of their overall strategy to secure a second term for the most liberal chief executive in our nation's history. Their battleground is Fulton County.

Enter one Trey Kelly, stage right [pictured below].

Kelly, a 38-year senior executive in the financial planning industry, is the third candidate in the Fulton County Republican Chairman's race. Kelly's a movement conservative. He cut his political teeth in the Atlanta Young Republican (AYR) organization, where he served as membership coordinator. Kelly and his team of conservative young guns grew their AYR membership from 60 to nearly 300 in just under three years. It's just this influx of new young blood that the Fulton County GOP needs to combat Obama's pre-conceived lock on the county's youth in 2012.

Kelly is anti-establishment in a time when the Grand Old Party's traditional establishment has come under intense fire from Tea Partiers and 9-12 groups nationwide.

Kelly is the only candidate in the race who can inspire young people to the conservative cause and rally new members to take on Obama in Fulton County: precinct to precinct, neighborhood to neighborhood, house to house, door to door.

Kelly brings fresh ideas, vibrancy, vitality, vigor and enthusiasm to a county Party that has lately morphed into a social club of sorts.

Independent, fearless, bold, tough and innovative -- these are the leadership qualities that define Kelly, and set him apart in this race. Most important, he's not beholden to any one person -- or indebted to any one interest.

Kelly can build a bridge to the future -- while respecting and honoring what Hanley and the Party faithful have built in Fulton County.

Kelly's idea of recruiting new volunteers is not centered on what table position somebody has at the annual awards dinner. It's founded on the concept of galvanizing a new wave of conservatives who are drawn to the Party based on shared principles, convictions and ideology.

Kelly's candidacy is a cause.

On the other hand, the likely winner, Bonds is all about winning his election -- at all costs. His campaign for Fulton County Republican Chairman was initially based on dividing the vote to his electoral advantage as a North Fulton Vs. South Fulton civil war -- rather than uniting the diverse geographical factions to achieve a greater good.

In one email Bonds sent to supporters early in the contest, he warned of Young Republicans "taking over the world," while advising his followers to stop them from winning any key spots on the Party leadership ticket.

While Kelly is planning how to motivate more youth to join the Party, Bonds sent another email announcing the whereabouts of his much anticipated "victory party."

His may be a shallow victory of little substance and less heart.

Bonds may win the battle Saturday. In so doing, we may lose the war.

The Beacon endorses Trey Kelly for Fulton County Republican Chairman.