The unofficial results of local elections in Bulloch County have been completely reported, while Chatham County has only partially reported their results. This is a rundown of local election results at the time of publication, according to Georgia’s Election Results page.
Bulloch County
There were only three positions that saw a race between two candidates in Bulloch including Coroner, County Commissioner of District 1, Seat A, and County Commissioner of District 2, Seat C. The remaining local positions had unopposed candidates, all of whom were Republican.
- Coroner: Chuck Francis (R) was voted in with 62.3% of the vote, compared to Craig R. Tremble (D) who got 37.7%. Chuck Francis has been in medicine for 30 years as a paramedic, registered nurse and clinical coordinator. He was also a deputy coroner for 22 years.
- County Commissioner of District 1: Seat A was won by Ray Edwin Mosley (D) with 58.33% of the vote against R. Ryan “Rufus” Brannen’s (R) 41.67%. He was the incumbent candidate, and has already served three terms in the position since 2012.
- County Commissioner of District 2: Seat C was won by Nick Newkirk (R) with 73.08% of the vote, dwarfing Leonard “Len” Fatica’s (D) 26.92%. His main goals are to stop the uncontrolled growth of the taxes and to make the meetings more transparent.
In Chatham, races were held for the positions of District Attorney of the Eastern Judicial District, the Sheriff, the Coroner, the County Commission Chair, and County Commissioners for District 6 and 7. The rest of the positions were much more Democrat dominated compared to Bulloch County, with the only uncontested Republican positions being County Commissioners of District 1 and 4. *Chatham’s ballots are still being reported on and these numbers are subject to change.*
- District Attorney of the Eastern Judicial District: Shalena Cook Jones (D) has been reelected winning 53.39% of the vote, with her opponent André Pretorius (R) gaining 46.61% of the vote. Jones graduated Law School at UGA with honors in 2004, and says that she wants to fight for a system that works for everyone.
- County Sheriff: Richard Coleman (D) won with 54.04% of the vote against incumbent candidate John T. Wilcher (R), who had 45.96% of the vote. Coleman has had 32 years of law enforcement experience, and says he will focus on improving jail conditions and staffing at the sheriff’s office, as well as fighting crime.
- Coroner: Incumbent candidate David L. Campbell (D) won with 59% of the vote, beating Tiffany S. Williams (R) who had 41% of the vote. Campbell campaigned on his previous work in the position, including the building of a new county morgue.
- County Commission Chair: Lifelong Savannah resident Chester A. Ellis (D won with 57.7% of the vote. His opponent, Joel S. Boblasky (R) had only 42.30% of the vote. Ellis says that he will invest in his citizens, and that he brings 30 years of leadership and management experience to the position.
- County Commissioner for District 6: Incumbent Aaron “Adot” Whitley (D) was reelected with 60.64% of the vote against Leonard C. Massey (R), who only had 39.36% of the vote. Whitley is a combat veteran who served a tour in Afghanistan, and has been involved in many community activities, including coaching youth sports and encouraging voter participation.
- County Commissioner for District 7: The only Republican to win a race in Chatham county, Dean Kicklighter (R) won the position with 55.77% of the vote, with his opponent Orlando Scott (D) winning 44.23% of the vote. Kicklighter has held the position of Commissioner for District 7 since 2000, and has been voted four times as the “Best Commissioner” in the “Best Of” edition of the Connect Savannah newspaper.
