Two political newcomers enter commission race

ALBANY, Ga. — Two new political faces have qualified to run for the Dougherty County Commission’s District 3, officials say.

Clinton Johnson, a local youth counselor, and Louise Primrose, a retired nurse, qualified as Democrats to fill the seat that will be vacated by Muarlean Edwards, who will leave the seat at the end of her term. Edwards is challenging state Rep. Carol Fullerton for State House District 153.

Qualifying ends at noon today.

The only incumbent who hadn’t qualified by the close of Thursday but who is expected to be seek re-election is School Board member Velvet Riggins. No one else has qualified to for that seat.

Unless there are a number of candidates who qualify today, there will be only a handful of contested races in Dougherty County.

Coroner Emma Quimbley will face off against mortician Michael Fowler; Magistrate Victoria Darrisaw will run against lawyer Christopher Warren for State Court judge and at-large School Board member Anita Williams-Brown is being opposed by Lane Price, the director of the Willson Hospice House.

In state legislative elections, longtime state Rep. Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert, has picked up a challenger for House District 151 — school bus driver Richie Smith, a Democrat from Lake.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Freddie Powell-Sims, D-Dawson; Rep. Winfred Dukes, D-Albany, and Rep. Ed Rynders, R-Leesburg, haven’t drawn an opposition to re-election bids so far.

In the U.S. House races, Ken Deloach, of Macon, and John House, of Warner Robins, joined Rick Allen, of Columbus, as qualifiers to run as the Republican nominee against U.S. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, in Georgia’s Second Congressional District.

In the Eighth District, no one has qualified to challenge U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton.