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Wednesday, Jul. 16, 2008

Harrell rolls to easy re-election in Laurens sheriff's race

Four years ago, Sheriff Bill Harrell needed a runoff to win his first term.

Not this time.

Harrell rolled over two challengers to win re-election, grabbing a whopping 86 percent of the vote. Harrell took 6,661 votes, to 836 for Tom McCain and 264 for Tim Lewis, with absentee votes still not tallied. Harrell faces no Republican opposition.

"It's the most humbling thing I've ever had in my life, to have the people care about you like that and to feel you can make a difference in your community," Harrell said. "I feel like I've done everything I told the people I would do. I promised them I would be a hands-on, working sheriff, and I've done that."

Harrell defeated McCain, a former chief deputy in neighboring Johnson County, and Lewis, a construction company owner with no law enforcement experience. He also beat the odds just to be on the ballot. He had seven knee surgeries during the past year for a staph infection that doctors once said would either kill him or cost him a leg.

"Every day when I wake up, I thank the Lord for giving me another day on this earth," a teary-eyed Harrell said.

Countywide voting turnout was about 32 percent.

Also Tuesday, a hotly contested Democratic campaign in the race to replace longtime Clerk of Courts Allen Thomas turned into a runaway. Jackie Dalton, a 22-year employee of the clerk's office, easily defeated Johnson County Administrator Doug Eaves, 5,915 to 1,124.

Dalton won with 84 percent of the vote.

"I just have to say to people in future elections to take a lesson: Dirty politics don't play in Laurens County," Dalton said. "I really tried to run a clean campaign. But in the end I had to say some things to defend myself."

During the campaign, Dalton was put on the defensive after Eaves publicly questioned the handling of passport fees paid to the office. Eaves filed an Open Records Act request seeking a list of checks paid to office employees, including Dalton, as well as other documents.

Georgia law allows the clerk of courts to keep the fees as "personal compensation" for processing passport applications, and the practice is common in many counties.

Dalton will face Republican Emily Holland, who outpolled Anna Dora Loyd, 968 to 613. If she wins in November, Holland would become the first Republican elected to a countywide office here.

Two County Commission posts were contested.

Retired businessman and former Dublin City Councilman Buddy Adams defeated Linc Jones, a political newcomer, for the Republican nomination to fill the District 3 County Commission seat. Adams had 60 percent of the vote, 623, to Jones' 40 percent, or 428.

Adams will face former Dudley Mayor Yates Ware, the only Democrat running, in November.

Cliff Crews, who was appointed to fill the post after the death of Commissioner Tal Fuqua, did not seek election.

In District 2, longtime Commissioner D.M. Mullis defeated political newcomer Ken Snider, 1,323 to 490, taking 73 percent of the vote. He does not face opposition in the general election.