Three heated races in Jackson and Barrow counties will be decided next Tuesday, Aug. 5, as voters go back to the polls for the Primary runoff elections. A small turnout is expected for the runoff.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday to decide who will be the county commission chairman in each county and who will be the next District Attorney of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit.
In the DA's race, Donna Sikes faces Brad Smith in one of the most hotly-contested political races in recent years. In Jackson County, Hunter Bicknell squares off with Ron Johnson for BOC chairman while in Barrow County incumbent Doug Garrison faces a stiff challenge from Danny Yearwood. All of the races are on the Republican ballot.
For those who voted in the Democratic primary, there will be a runoff to determine the U.S. Senate nominee between Vernon Jones and Jim Martin. The winner in that race will face Republican Saxby Chambliss and Libertarian Allen Buckley in November.
Those who voted a Republican ballot in the primary election must vote Republican in the runoff. Those who voted a Democrat ballot in the primary election must cast a Democrat ballot in the runoff. Those who did not vote in the primary election may choose either ballot in the primary.
DA's RACE
In the DA's race, a weekend campaign mailer from candidate Sikes accused opponent Smith of letting a Barrow County man go in a plea deal. The man was recently charged for murder in Florida. Over 20 comments about the mailer had been posted to the Mainstreetnews.com website over the weekend.
Smith strongly rebutted Sike's accusation in the mailer, saying that while he processed some paperwork related to the matter, the case was not his and he had nothing to do with the plea deal.
"Throughout her campaign, my opponent has consistently used mudslinging and baseless personal attacks," he said. "Since the election, there have been rumors and conspiracy theories running rampant. I am here to tell you now that these are not true. The things you have been reading about are not true."
Smith said Sikes had distorted the facts in her mailer.
"My signature simply means I was standing there (in court,) not that I had anything to do with it," Smith said. "I don't know any of the facts of this case, since it was never mine, but the charges he pleaded to are all misdemeanors and the sentences he received are in line with what judges hand out for these offenses."
Sikes has hammered Smith throughout the election over his having worked in the DA's office under former DA Tim Madison. Smith has distanced himself from Madison, saying he had nothing to do with the former DA's theft of public funds. But Sikes has remained unrelenting in pressing the relationship.
"The problem with my opponent is that everything that went wrong in that office was because of Tim Madison and everything that went right was because of him," said Sikes at a recent Barrow County GOP meeting. "You can't have it both ways. He either was involved in running the office, or he wasn't."
For his part, Smith has pointed to Sikes' inexperience as having been a defense lawyer and not a prosecutor.
"I am the only candidate with any experience in the complicated world of death penalty litigation," he said. "My opponent is not death penalty qualified."
This week, Jackson County Sheriff Stan Evans and incumbent DA Rick Bridgeman, who was knocked out of the race in the Primary, both endorsed Sikes for DA.
JACKSON CHAIRMAN'S RACE
Another closely watched race is that for BOC chairman in Jackson County between Bicknell and Johnson. Both candidates have been working the phones in recent days and doing last minute campaigning leading up to next Tuesday's vote.
Neither candidate is an incumbent and they hold similar views on may of the core issues. Bicknell's critics charge that he is too close to the development community while Johnson's critics portray him as a hot-head and as not having paid all his debts.
BARROW CHAIRMAN'S RACE
In Barrow County, incumbent Garrison was stunned by Yearwood's strong first place finish in the Primary. Both candidates have reportedly been campaigning hard since the Primary, calling and attempting to rally supporters to go back out to the polls.
Many of the issues of the Barrow BOC chairman's race revolve around efforts to expand the Barrow County airport facility and on Garrison's having kept an active real estate license after having been elected four years ago.
For more details on all the candidates, interviews and public comments about the races, see www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com, www.BarrowJournal.com, www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com and www.Mainstreetnews.com.
