Michael McPherson, a campaign consultant and former state Senate chief of staff, wants to take the House District 58 seat vacated recently by Rep. Robinn Shipp.

McPherson, 34, said this week that he will be a candidate in the special election to finish Shipp’s term, which is expected to occur in November.

The Atlanta native is the first person to announce.

Shipp resigned April 21 because of a conflict with her new job as senior district attorney with the Fulton County district attorney’s office.

McPherson, who lives in Cabbagetown, is a vice president of research and administration at Cornerstone Communications Group. He previously served as chief of staff for Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) and Sen. Tim Golden (D-Valdosta).

He has also served as chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus and a campaign manager for Stoner.

He said his legislative experience would allow him to hit the ground running .

“Between sessions, I want to be a valuable resource to all the communities in the 58th,” he said. “I want to make sure the rubber of metro Atlanta’s volunteer resources meets the road in the district – through direct communication and diligent coordination.”

District 58 includes portions of DeKalb County and the city of Atlanta.

A spokesperson for the governor’s office said on Thursday that a date for the special election has not yet been set but that they are working with the Secretary of State’s office to have the special election during an already scheduled election.

McPherson serves on the board of the Cabbagetown Initiative Community Development Corporation and is a member of the Stacks/Fulton Cotton Mill Homeowners Association Advisory Board.

He is also a member of the Cabbagetown disaster recovery committee, which works with Cabbagetown’s victims of the March 2008 tornado.