Dougherty County Commission will have three new faces, at least

ALBANY — Dougherty County Clerk Jawahn Ware had best make sure she orders name plates for Dougherty Commission members when the commission convenes at the first of next year.

It may take a while for everyone to get to know each other.

The commission was guaranteed three new faces after Tuesday’s primary elections, as Chris Cohilas claimed the commission chairmanship, Anthony Jones outpolled long-time incumbent Jack Stone in District 6, and Harry James, who ran unopposed in a special election, officially became the commission’s District 5 representative.

Also, Pat Garner’s victory over Tracy Taylor in the District 4 Democratic primary left him to face Republican incumbent Ewell Lyle in the Nov. 4 general election with the possibility that there could be four new faces on the board.

“It’s really exciting to think about that, about the possibilities,” Cohilas said after narrowly outpolling former Dougherty Commissioner Gloria Gaines 4,694 votes to 4,581. The 113-vote margin gave the new chairman 50.61 percent of the vote.

“I’m very encouraged by what I’ve heard from the other new commissioners. I think they will bring some exciting, fresh ideas to the table.”

When Jones, who ran the county’s 4-H program for 24 years before retiring five years ago, announced his intentions to run against the legendary Stone, who has held his seat for 28 years, many in the public responded with a resounding, “Who?”

But Jones parlayed his tireless work ethic and his network of friends and supporters into a resounding victory, claiming 65.18 percent of the vote.

“One of the first things I want to do is commend Commissioner Stone for his service to this community,” Jones said. “He served 28 years, 28 long, hard years. His are going to be some big shoes to fill.

“I plan to ask Mr. Stone for his support and his help as I move into the District 6 seat. He’s a walking fountain of knowledge. Like I said, those are some big shoes to fill, but with the help of the other members of the commission, I’m ready to get to work on behalf of the people of Dougherty County.”

Jones said he has already started studying the issues that face the commission, many of which supplied fodder for his campaign.

“One of the first things we have to do is figure out a way to adjust the salaries up of the county’s employees, especially our first responders,” the commissioner-elect said. “And I’ve been talking with DOT officials about ways we can improve that dangerous intersection at U.S. 19 and Nelms Road in this district. We’ve also got to continue to find a way to alleviate the flooding problems that damage many homes in eastern Dougherty County.

“I also think we have to find ways to address the concerns of our young people. A perfect example is that NYSP program. We need a fund that will allow us to help worthy programs like that that impact our young people in a positive way. Maybe instead of trying to fund all of the programs, we can find a way to rotate funding every few years. But we have to find ways to help these groups.”

Garner said he won the District 4 Democratic primary the old-fashioned way: He outworked his opponent.

“I think my three-pronged plan of increasing first responders’ pay, better tending drainage ditches to cut back on the mosquito population and area flooding, and fighting the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline had a lot to do with my victory,” Garner, who received 64.62 percent of the primary vote, said. “I also think that by walking the neighborhoods of the district and knocking on more than 2,000 doors, the voters were able to see that I’m serious about this election. I want to serve this community.”

In the county School Board races, Melissa Strother earned a convincing victory over Aaron Johnson, claiming 68.34 percent of the vote in the District 4 primary, while Dean Phinazee and Princess Milledge qualified for a runoff in the District 6 race. Phinazee led the three-candidate pack with 41.64 percent of the vote, while Milledge collected 34.13 percent. The third-place candidate, Shirlette Davis-Marcus, got 24.24 percent of the closely contested race.

“As I’ve thought about the election, I’m so thankful that our race was determined yesterday instead of in November,” Strother said Wednesday. “Now I have an opportunity to educate myself, to learn and form relationships with the other board members, administrators and school officials. I plan to pour myself into the school system over the next six months.”

While Lee County incumbent Ed Rynders claimed an easy victory over Mary Egler in the House District 152 race to assure his return to Atlanta, Darrel Ealum and Carol Fullerton guaranteed they would take their heated House 153 battle further into a runoff. Fullerton, the incumbent, got 42.29 percent of the vote, while Ealum got 38.10 percent. Third-place finisher Muarlean Edwards got 19.6 percent of the vote.

Dougherty Elections Superviser Ginger Nickerson said she was disappointed in the low (22.68 percent) turnout, but she said she’s not disappointed in the pre-election efforts of all parties involved.

“We did our job of getting the word out, and there were plenty of opportunities to vote,” Nickerson said as returns trickled in Tuesday. “The media covered the races, and the candidates got out and campaigned. At some point, the responsibility falls on the voters.”

Ward II Albany City Commissioner Bobby Coleman said mid-afternoon on election day that he’d gotten complaints of ballot irregularities in the Jackson Heights Elementary precinct. The complaints turned out to be misinformation given some voters.

“Some voters wanted to know why certain candidates weren’t on their ballot,” Jackson Heights precinct supervisor Barbara Thomas said. “It turns out our precinct was not in the district of that candidate. We have no say over where candidates campaign. But we did make note of all complaints and logged them.”

The Ealum/Fullerton and Phinazee/Milledge runoff elections will be held July 22.