Local, state primary qualifying starts today

ALBANY — Stephen Brimberry knows he’s late to the game in getting the word out to would-be Republican candidates who want to run for seats on the Dougherty County Commission and the Dougherty School Board in scheduled May 22 primaries.

But the recently elected chairman of the Dougherty Republican Party said Saturday he expects there to be more activity than usual when qualifying starts today for four of the seven seats up for re-election on the Dougherty Commission and the School Board.

Qualifying starts at 9 a.m. and will continue through Friday. Candidates who plan to qualify as Democrats may do so in the county Elections office from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day through Thursday and from 9 a.m.-noon Friday. Republican candidates may sign up from 9 a.m.-noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 2412 E. Alberson Drive.

“I’m sure (District 4 Commissioner) Ewell Lyle will sign up for re-election, but we’re hearing that there are others who are seriously thinking about running, too,” Brimberry said. “I think (yoga instructor) Sylvia Maxwell is thinking very seriously about running for the (at-large) School Board seat held by Geraldine Hudley. And Tracy Taylor is reportedly thinking about swapping parties and running for a (County Commission) seat as a Republican.

“What we’re doing to stay involved in the process is encouraging qualified citizens to run, no matter what party they run in. Our elections process works best when we get people involved.”

In the commission races, Chairman Chris Cohilas and Commissioners John Hayes (District 2), Lyle and Anthony Jones (District 6) are all expected to seek another four-year term in office. Cohilas told The Albany Herald last week he would qualify for re-election at 9 a.m. Monday.

“My wife and I had some long, involved conversations (before I decided to seek re-election),” Cohilas said. “She’s a wonderful, beautiful, hard-working, amazing woman and a great mother, and she and my family have to sacrifice in order for me to hold this position and do things the right way. But she gets it. She loves the community, and she knows my interest in serving is to help our community be better.”

Democratic candidates (including Cohilas, Hayes and Jones) must qualify this year at the Elections office because state Democratic Party officials determined that the local Democratic Party did not “meet the threshold for qualifying candidates.”

State party County Affairs Director Melva Steps sent Dougherty Elections Supervisor Ginger Nickerson a recent email that noted, “This email confirms that there is not a Democratic County Committee in Dougherty County that meets the necessary threshold for qualifying candidates in 2018.”

Qualifying fees, which were set by the Dougherty County Commission, are $324 for candidates seeking the commission chairmanship, $288 for candidates seeking the District 2, 4 and 6 seats on the commission, and $90 for candidates seeking the same seats on the Dougherty County Board of Education.