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closeWARNER ROBINS — Candidates, their wives and supporters lined the streets holding signs, waving arms and chanting loudly as residents flowed through polling places Tuesday morning.
One man, holding a sign for Chuck Chalk, was on Watson Boulevard across from City Hall at 5 a.m.
Just before noon, voters could spot the wives of Clifford Holmes Jr. and Chuck Chalk waving signs supporting their husbands. Holmes and Chalk eventually joined their spouses on either side on Watson Boulevard. Chuck Shaheen and his wife also were standing outside across from the Warner Robins Recreation Center. City Council candidate Mike Daley’s campaign had the largest presence near City Hall. Four men took places on either side of Watson Boulevard waving signs, and a large sign for Daley’s campaign was being hauled up and down Watson in the bed of an oversized red pickup truck.
Randall Dodd, a Houston County resident, was holding a Shaheen for Mayor campaign sign. Though he wasn’t eligible to vote for his friend in the election, he said he knew how important the Warner Robins mayoral race was to county residents.
“The new mayor will have an impact on the county, too,” he said.
WORKERS REPORT SOLID TURNOUT
A steady stream of voters turned out, according to poll workers.
Earl Lockhart, a poll worker at Northside High School on Tuesday who has been working county and city elections for 14 years, said “it kind of reminded me of the presidential election.”
About 20 people were waiting outside the Houston County Annex before polls opened at 7 a.m., according to poll worker Mat Gutierrez. Gutierrez has almost three decades of experience working on Election Day. His thought was that a lot of people had interest in the mayoral race.
Grace Harmon, who also was at the Houston County Annex, said people arrived at 6:30 a.m. and read their newspapers before they voted.
“We really had great turnout,” Harmon said.
Voter Tieman Slaugh said there were “no hiccups and no wait” at the Houston County Annex.
A few people were confused about where to vote and were busy looking at maps. At Second Baptist Church, Gene Moore said there were only a few who didn’t know where they were supposed to go. Gutierrez said people thought that they were supposed to go to the same place for city elections as they were for national elections.
The poll locations in Warner Robins were Miller Elementary School, Second Baptist Church, the Houston County Annex, Northside High School and Houston Mall.
A FAMILY DIVIDED
A truck driving down Watson Boulevard with a Chuck Chalk sign included, among its occupants, Tommy Walker, the late Mayor Donald Walker’s brother. And Tommy wasn’t the only Walker supporting Chalk.
At the bottom of a digital billboard promoting Chalk’s campaign, it’s noted that the sign was paid for by “Miss Patricia Walker.”
Patricia Walker, who could not be reached for comment, contributed $2,400 to Chalk’s campaign last week, as did her daughter, Stephanie. Chalk has said that Patricia Walker has publicly endorsed him for mayor.
“I’m just grateful and thankful for her support,” said Chalk, a program manager at Robins Air Force Base. “When anyone says ‘I want to vote for you,’ I’m so humbled because someone thinks I’m worthwhile to vote for.”
While Tommy, Patricia and Stephanie Walker donated a reported $5,800 combined to Chalk’s campaign, Shaheen said another of Donald Walker’s brothers, Jay Walker, contributed to his campaign.
Shaheen said Jay Walker and his wife both gave to his campaign. While they donated, it was less than the $101 individually that would require the donations to be reported. Jay Walker could not be reached for comment.
To contact Marlon A. Walker, call 256-9685. To contact Angela Woolen, call 923-5650.
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