Dawson mayor, County Commission chair races on Terrell County ballot

DAWSON — In addition to national and state races, two contests on Tuesday’s ballot in Terrell County — the Dawson mayor’s race and the contest for the Terrell County Commission chairmanship — are likely to be the most closely watched in recent memory.

The mayor’s race is drawing significant attention because the person who was elected to that seat four years ago, Christopher Wright, was recently suspended from his duties until the end of his term per an order from Gov. Nathan Deal following an indictment in June on charges of aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, rape, child molestation and statutory rape.

Those charges were based on testimony in a child molestation investigation in February conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. While Wright was not the subject of that investigation, the mayor was implicated by a victim who was 12 at the time of an alleged incident in which he was named.

Wright, who was 22 when he was elected in 2012, has qualified for re-election against Robert Albritten. Albritten, owner of Albritten’s Funeral Service, served as Dawson’s mayor for 32 years before being unseated by Wright.

Albritten said he made the decision to run in part based on the controversy surrounding Wright.

“My reason for wanting to seek and hopefully be elected to the city of Dawson is that the mayor’s office is lacking a leader of a mature nature,” he said.

The former mayor said he also wants his seat back to help attract industry to the area, which he said ought to — in turn — fix a number of other issues Dawson residents might consider important.

“If people are gainfully employed, they will have a desire to have a safe community,” Albritten said.

He stressed the importance of recreational opportunities in the community, while also emphasizing the importance of maintaining a safe community.

He added that the relationship between the city and the community has diminished, and that he wants to build broken bonds and establish “a better quality of life for all” while being a good steward of taxpayer dollars.

“My desire is that everyone would enjoy a good quality of life,” he said.

On July 16 of this year, Wright was cited in Albany on charges of impersonating a police officer, blue lights restricted and driving aggressively. In March 2013, he drew scrutiny from the Dawson City Council for using a city-owned vehicle for personal use.

In October 2013, Wright was the victim of a shooting at his home during which he sustained multiple gunshot wounds and remained in critical condition for an extended period.

In August, the city council formally requested Wright take a voluntary suspension from office.

It should be noted that Albritten’s time in office was not without controversy. In January 2003, he pleaded guilty to charges of drunken driving and following too close in connection to an accident three months earlier in which a woman had been injured — resulting in a sentence of 24 hours in jail, a year of probation, 40 hours of community service and a $650 fine.

The following September, Albritten was acquitted on seven of 28 fraud and forgery charges after accusations that he fraudulently sold 10 life insurance policies over the course of 12 years to residents of personal care homes and forging the signatures of nine residents.

Several calls to a phone number available for Wright seeking comment on his campaign by The Herald’s press time Thursday afternoon went straight to voicemail.

Wilbur T. Gamble III, an independent candidate, is seeking the County Commission seat currently being occupied by his father, Wilbur T. Gamble Jr.

The younger Gamble, an attorney with Collier & Gamble, made the decision to run after his father chose not to seek another term in office.

“After some contemplation, (I decided that) the best course of action was to run,” he said.

Gamble’s platform, he said, also consists of a strong focus on bringing industry and population growth to the county currently home to less than 10,000 people. This will mean seeking out business prospects and working with state officials to at least bring in more retail opportunities, he said.

Road paving will need to be a priority, the attorney said.

“We understand every industry won’t come this way, but they don’t all need to be in north Georgia,” Gamble said.

Since his decision to run, he has been asked if his candidacy was a way to carry on in his father’s footsteps. While saying that was not his intention, he did advocate for what someone from his family can bring to public office.

“I’m proud of the Gamble name, and I’d like to carry it on — not because we are entitled, but because we need strong leadership,” he said. “We need someone who can represent themselves well (and) take that step to lead.”

Gamble added that he has gained experience in a vast number of areas. He began his career with Powell Goldstein Murphy & Frazer in Atlanta in 1990 before joining Edward Collier to form Collier & Gamble the following year. His experience includes serving as lead counsel on more than 125 jury trials in criminal court.

“I have the ability to negotiate and deal with people properly,” he said. “We will treat everyone equally. The decision is not going to be based on who you are or your influence.”

Running against Gamble is Larry Faust, a Democrat. Attempts to reach Faust for comment on his campaign were unsuccessful by press time on Thursday.