Five offices contested in Worth County primary elections

SYLVESTER — When Worth County voters go to the polls May 24 to vote in the primary elections, they will have several contested races to consider as four incumbent officials face intraparty opposition.

Republican Worth County Commission Chairman Mike Cosby is being challenged by former county commissioner and business owner Fred Dent.

Cosby, who was elected to the commission in 2013, said he is excited to run for re-election as it will afford him an opportunity to continue focusing on the biggest issue facing the county.

“I’m trying to continue to improve the current financial position of the county,” Cosby said. “We hired a new county administrator and a new financial director, and I’ve been working with them to see better money management.”

Cosby said the county has suffered for years from poor fiscal management, but things have recently begun to improve thanks to fresh leadership and fresh direction being provided by new Administrator Alan Grindstaff and Financial Director Barbara Francis.

“We’re looking at getting this thing back on track by the end of 2017,” said Cosby. “I want to see the county move forward and give taxpayers and citizens the service they deserve and are expecting.”

A better financial position for the county is also on the mind of Cosby’s challenger, Fred Dent, who in addition to being the owner of Transport Equipment Co. in Albany, previously served on the Worth Commission for 16 years.

“I’ve been a district commissioner before,” said Dent. “This time I’m running for chairman. Worth County was at one time very solid financially for a little county. The last two years, they’ve borrowed money to operate. And I’ve been told there will be a zero fund balance at the end of this fiscal year.”

Dent said his experience on the commission, as well as the business acumen he’s developed, will help the 50-year resident of the county greatly improve conditions for all county residents.

“I love Worth County, and I think I have experience that will be good for this county,” Dent said. “We need a long-range plan. And I want to put us back on a solid financial path.”

District 1 Commissioner Joe Gaines also is facing opposition from a former county commissioner, with Tony Hall challenging him in the Democratic primary.

Gaines, a retired pastor who has served on the commission for more than 20 years, said one of the reasons he ran for office was his desire to help people, many of whom he said encouraged him to return to office.

“My constituents begged me to run again,” said Gaines. “(And) I like serving the people. The people deserve fair leaders, leaders you can go to and get an honest answer.”

Gaines said honesty and fairness are two of the things he has brought to the commission.

“I look for fairness and transparency in government,” Gaines said. “There are so many things politicians like to cover up.

“We’re on the road to getting the county back on stable ground. We’re trying to make sure the tax base and service base is producing revenue. My thing is to make Worth county a nice place to live.”

Creating a nice place with connected representation is also on the mind of Gaines’ challenger, who served eight years on the board before losing a re-election campaign in 2012.

As a self-proclaimed “people person” who runs a private, non-emergency transport company, Hall said the reason he is running again is to make sure the people of Worth County are represented fairly.

“I just don’t feel like we’re being represented the way we should be,” said Hall. “Our county is in desperate need of help. Our property taxes are constantly being raised, and our administration is borrowing money to operate.”

Hall said a vote for him is a vote supporting change, which is something he said is needed in the county.

“I’m open-minded to ideas, and I embrace change,” the challenger said. “We have to embrace change. It’s real simple, kind of like health care. If you are not satisfied with your coverage at the beginning of the year, you can change it. If you’re satisfied, leave it as it is. If you’re tired of not being represented, if you’re tired of being the laughing stock of the state, if you’re tired of having your property taxes raised, that is why you should support me.”

Contested races in Worth County are not limited to the County Commission. Johnny Johnson, a Republican who has served as coroner for the past several years, is being challenged by Boyd Brown. The winner will face the lone Democratic candidate, Jonathan Luke, in November.

Johnson, who served 16 years as an EMT before becoming coroner, said his experience gives him a clear advantage. But he said he is well-suited to offer citizens what they need during what can be difficult times.

“I’m running for re-election so I can continue giving the people of Worth County, like I have been for the last 11 years, advice and comfort during stressful times,” said Johnson.

Johnson said the office of coroner is one that requires compassion and skill, as well as the ability to handle dealing with death.

“I don’t mind doing it because I’m helping the citizens of Worth County,” he said.

Brown also has a background in public service, having served as an EMT since the mid-1970s. During that time, Brown received numerous certifications and worked a number of challenging calls.

“I’ve been in public safety for 43 years and have worked over 35,000 calls,” said Brown. “I’ve had a lot of life saves. I’ve known all the coroners through the years, and I have extensive knowledge of the county. I feel I am a good candidate.”

Brown said he feels the most important part of being coroner, should he be elected, will be treating the citizens of the county with care and respect, something he said he’s been doing for decades.

“At the times when I have been on EMS calls where someone has died, and I’ve had to talk to a family member, I was glad I was the one who could be there for them,” he said.

One of the more hotly contested races that will be decided during the Republican primary is also in the arena of public safety. The Worth County sheriff’s race pits incumbent Jeff Hobby against challenger Charlie Fortson. The winner will face Democratic candidate Tracy Jones in the November general election.

Hobby took over the office in 2012, following the 28-year tenure of Freddie Tompkins.

Since that time, Hobby has focused his efforts toward improving the quality of law enforcement within the county through restructuring.

“I’m running because I’ve got the county’s best interests at heart,” said Hobby. “I want to move the county forward. We’re still in the process of restructuring the sheriff’s office, and that’s taking some time. You can’t do it overnight.”

Hobby said his law enforcement background, including serving as a trooper with the Georgia State Patrol for 12 years, has helped him make good decisions during his time in office, including placing an increased focus on curtailing drug-related crimes.

“We’ve been cleaning up the streets from drugs,” Hobby said. “If you get the drugs down, you’re reducing the crime rate. Most everything relates to the drug trade, and that’s what I’m hardest at.”

Fortson, a 16-year veteran of law enforcement, spent with the Dougherty County and Sylvester police departments, in addition to serving for two years as police chief in Warwick.

Fortson said he moved to his wife’s native Worth County six years ago and has been committed to the county ever since.

“I thought this was a good opportunity to serve my community,” Fortson said. “It’s where I live. I’ve got two small children, and I want to create a much better place for them to grow up.”

Young people are a big part of hi’s focus during the election, Fortson said, and he said he intends to make them a part of his focus as sheriff should he win election.

“I want to have some youth-focused initiatives,” he said. “They are our future leaders, so we’ve got to take care of them.”

Worth County voters also will decide between the two men running for the State Court judgeship. This race, which is nonpartisan and will appear on all ballots, sees incumbent Ralph Powell, who was appointed to serve out the term of the late Clarence Miller, squaring off against attorney Jay Crowe.

Powell, who relocated to his family’s Worth farm several years ago, has been on the bench since his appointment in July. He points out that since he took over in 2013, he’s been working through a considerable backlog of cases, and trying to establish a system by which cases are brought before the judge in a more timely manner.

“I believe that justice delayed is justice denied,” said Powell. “We’ve tried to speed up the process and hear cases in a timely fashion, both jury trials and bench trials.”

In addition to his time on the bench, Powell brings 25 years of varied legal experience to the position, having been in private practice in North Georgia, Albany and Worth County, while also logging more than 10 years of experience in state court, serving as solicitor general in Athens.

During his time as a prosecutor, Powell tried more than 100 cases. He also has experience defending clients charged with crimes in State Court as well.

“I have a lot of experience in Start Court,” he said. “You’re dealing a lot of times with generally good people that just made a mistake. In handling that (I think) you’re trying to correct behavior more than put bad people in jail. I believe in the phrase, ‘justice tempered with mercy.’”

Local attorney Crowe, who is originally from Worth County and has been in private practice for the last 13 years, has experience handling a variety of criminal and civil cases. Crowe also has experience as a prosecutor, having served as solicitor of Sylvester for the past five years, something he thinks will have an impact on how he would serve as a judge.

“I think being sure to treat everyone fairly is first and foremost,” said Crowe. “You have to protect people’s rights but also be firm. I believe I have the experience to do that.”

Crowe said his connection to the community makes him a good candidate for State Court judge.

“I’m a product of the Worth County School System,” he said. “I’m focused on family first and foremost, and on my community. Those are two things I’ve very proud of. I’m very proud to say I’m from Worth County.”