Jones County elects new chairman, runoff in District 1 race

Jones County voters elected a new commission chairman Tuesday, ousting a 12-year incumbent.

Chris Weidner, a 54-year-old political newcomer, defeated Preston Hawkins, who has served as the county commission chairman since 2005.

“I guess (the win) hasn’t sunk in yet,” Weidner said after hugging family and friends in the hallway of the Jones County Government Center. “It’s been a hard couple of months. ... I’m happy. This is a victory for not only me but for the county.”

Weidner garnered 2,223 votes, and Hawkins received 1,219 votes. Weidner was formerly in the timber business but has been a real estate investor for the past 13 years.

The first order of business will be increasing accountability and transparency, which in turn will result in reduced spending without cutting services, Weidner said.

When reached by phone Tuesday night, Hawkins, a retired engineer with the Department of Transportation, said he was “a little surprised.”

“It didn’t go too good in my favor,” the 77-year-old Hawkins said. “I’m just gonna relax. …. I’ll have more time to go where I want to and spend more time with my family.”

While Weidner won with 64 percent of the votes for chairman, the race for the District 1 seat on the commission resulted in a runoff.

Incumbent Larry Childs, 62, will face off against 48-year-old challenger Sam Kitchens in a July 26 runoff, said Jones County Elections Superintendent Marion Hatton.

Childs, who runs a home renovation business, has served on the board for 19 years and is its longest-serving member.

Childs received 466 votes, and Kitchens received 547 votes. Cliff Greene, 51, received 253 votes.

Greene, who runs a construction grading business, said he wasn’t surprised by the runoff between Childs and Kitchens.

Attempts to reach Childs by phone Tuesday night were unsuccessful.

Kitchens, who said he’s known both his opponents since grade school, is proud the three candidates each ran “a clean race.”

“I’m excited. I’m really humbled by the show of support,” Kitchens said. “It’s good to know that people are believing in you and trusting you to make good decisions on their behalf. ... I did better than I thought I would do. Honestly, I thought maybe I’d be in a runoff but not that I would be leading in a runoff.”

Kitchens, assistant director of the Macon-Bibb County Parks & Beautification Department, said he will be campaigning for the runoff.

“We’ve got lots of work to do. A lot of people to meet, a lot of people to see,” Kitchens said. “The biggest thing is just getting out and making sure that people go back to the polls.”

In the county commission District 3 race, two-term Jones County Commissioner Tommy Robinson, 64, will remain in office after defeating 69-year-old challenger Jim Bean with 54 percent of the votes. Robinson, retired from J.M. Huber Corp., received 560 votes to Bean’s 466.

Attempts to reach Robinson and Bean by phone Tuesday night were unsuccessful.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 11:24 PM with the headline "Jones County elects new chairman, runoff in District 1 race."