Local & State Headlines

Local elections taking shape

• After months of posturing, qualifying for local and state elections starts today.

Carlton Fletcher

THE RACE IS ON Local races (with incumbents) that will be contested during the July 15 general primary: Dougherty County Sheriff – Jamil Saba (retiring) Clerk of Court – Evonne Mull Coroner – Emma Quimbley Dougherty County Commission District 1 – Lamar Hudgins Dougherty County Commission District 3 – Muarlean Edwards Dougherty County Commission District 5 – Art Searles Dougherty School Board at Large – Richard Anson (relinquishing seat) Dougherty School Board District 1 – David Maschke Dougherty School Board District 3 – Willie Weaver (relinquishing seat) Dougherty School Board District 5 – James Bush Dougherty District Attorney – Ken Hodges (relinquishing seat) State Representative, District 150 – Winfred Dukes State Representative, District 151 – Freddie Powell Sims (relinquishing seat) State Representative, District 153 – Ed Rynders State Senate, District 12 – Michael Meyer von Bremen (relinquishing seat) Nonpartisan local races (with incumbents) that will hold no primaries but will be contested during the Nov. 4 general election: Superior Court Judge – Willie Lockette, Steve Goss and Loring Gray (retiring) State Court Judge – John Salter Probate Court Judge – Nancy Stephenson

ALBANY — With tongue planted firmly in cheek, House District 150 Rep. Winfred Dukes answers a question about his election plans.

“I’m trying to decide if I’m going to run for vice president with Obama or with McCain,” he says. “Who knows, I may even do something sneaky and run with Hillary.”

Dukes’ response is an obvious coy reference to a previous Herald article in which some insiders offered the opinion that he might pull a qualification switcheroo and run for the State Senate District 12 seat that will be vacated by Michael Meyer von Bremen while an announced candidate for that seat, former Rep. John White, slips into the race for the District 150 seat Dukes currently holds.

With all the twists, turns, false starts and jostling for position in the various races of local interest so far, not too many political observers would be surprised if Dukes wasn’t kidding.

All that has transpired leading up to what promises to be a memorable election, though, becomes little more than afterthought starting today when Republican and Democratic candidates begin qualifying for some 15 local races that could change the face of politics in Albany, Dougherty County and the state of Georgia.

“There’s a good possibility you’ll see a lot of new faces in local politics this time around,” District 5 Dougherty School Board incumbent the Rev. James Bush said Friday. “For those who run for the (school) board and in the other races, my hope is that we get people who are willing to vote their convictions.”

Democratic candidates for Dougherty County sheriff, coroner, district attorney, clerk of court, county commission districts 1, 3 and 5 and school board districts 1, 3, 5 and an at-large seat will qualify from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. today-Thursday and from 9 a.m.-noon on Friday at the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union No. 72 office at 1900 Clark Ave.

Republican candidates in the same local races will qualify at those same times at the 2305 Dawson Road offices of Albany Travel.

Meanwhile, Republican and Democratic candidates for the State House of Representatives in Districts 150, 151 and 152, and for the State Senate in District 12 will register during those same hours at their respective Chambers at the Capitol in Atlanta.

Meyer von Bremen, who served in the Senate for a decade before announcing March 13 his plans to seek an open seat on the State Court of Appeals, started a domino effect of political posturing that had such well-knowns as Dougherty County Commission Chair Jeff Sinyard, Dougherty District Attorney Ken Hodges and Albany businessman Greg McCormack seriously considering a run for his District 12 seat.

When the dust finally cleared in the days leading up to qualifying, though, all the aforementioned would-be candidates withdrew their names from consideration, and two- term District 151 Rep. Freddie Powell Sims emerged as a candidate for the Senate seat being given up by Meyer von Bremen. Her lone announced opponent so far is former Rep. John White.

“We need tax relief in Georgia, but we can’t throw out tax relief plans without finding a way to make up for the shortfall,” Sims said Friday. “In this economy, people are struggling to find ways to pay not for their wants, but for their needs.

“We could mandate cuts, but I don’t think the public wants us to do so in a way where services suffer. We have to find a balance.”

With Sims looking at a Senate run, former Albany City Commissioner and current Albany Water, Gas & Light Commission board member Carol Fullerton has announced plans to run for the vacant District 151 seat. She has not yet drawn opposition; nor has incumbent District 150 Rep. Dukes or 152’s Ed Rynders.

After being mentioned as a potential candidate for the Senate and as a contender for the Dougherty Superior Court judgeship that will open with the retirement of Chief Judge Loring Gray, Hodges surprised many when he announced last week he would not seek re- election as district attorney. In announcing his plans, Hodges endorsed his chief assistant, Greg Edwards, who has been with the DA’s office for 18 years.

“I appreciate the kind words Ken made on my behalf, and I certainly hope to not only continue the fine job he did but to make the district attorney’s office even more effective,” Edwards said. “I have my own vision, but much of it centers around working with the excellent staff that’s already in this office.

“I plan to emphasize protecting our children, our disabled citizens and our senior citizens from criminal activity and from financial exploitation. I have a threefold plan: Coordination of activities to prevent criminal activity; working with law enforcement agencies to make solid cases against those who break the law; and making sure those who re-enter society are counseled, educated and reoriented so that they can become productive citizens again.”

Edwards has no announced opposition, but there are those who consider maverick defense attorney Jim Finkelstein a strong possible challenger. And while Finkelstein admits to considering such a run, he chose Friday not to comment on the record about such conjecture.

With long-time Dougherty Sheriff Jamil Saba stepping down this year, the race to fill his shoes has become a crowded one. Deputy Kevin Sproul, businessman Kirk Smith, Albany Police officers James Williams and Benita Childs, and Atlanta police officer Lorenzo Lockett filed prequalifying papers to run for the office.

Smith said he was disatisfied with the support of the local Republican party when he initially announced his candidacy, so he chose to run as an independent instead.

Coroner Emma Quimbley, who could get opposition from Jason Thornhill, is expected to seek re-election to that office, while Clerk of Court Evonne Mull will look to add to her 41-year tenure in that office.

“People don’t realize what kind of work goes into this position, and when they hear they can’t believe it,” Mull, who oversees a staff of 17 and has been clerk of court since being elected to the post in 2000, said. “I don’t know if anybody else would want this job, but our office functions very well because of the wonderful staff.”

District 1 County Commissioner Lamar Hudgins has already indicated he will seek re-election; District 3’s Muarlean Edwards, who won a special election to fill an unexpired term in March of 2007, will qualify this morning to run fo her first full term; and District 5 Commissioner Art Searles confirmed Friday he will run again.

“You usually get opposition in these races when people in your district feel you’re not doing the job,” he said. “Hopefully, people are satisfied with the job I’m doing.”

Bush so far has no opposition in the District 5 school board race, but Laura Calhoun has reportedly expressed interest in running against David Maschke in District 1. At-large representative Richard Anson is stepping down from that post, and his vacant seat has already drawn the candidacy of attorney Tommy Langstaff and former educator Anita Williams-Brown.

District 3 school board member Willie Weaver will vacate his seat to run for Gray’s vacated judgeship, and Velvet Edwards-Riggins has already announced her intention to run for that seat.

In nonpartisan races for judgeships, Dougherty Superior Court judges Willie Lockette, Steve Goss and Gray are up for re-election. Weaver, who is chief judge of Albany Municipal Court, and Magistrate Court Judge Denise Marshall have announced plans to run for Gray’s soon-to-be vacant position. State Court Judge John Salter and Probate Court Judge Nancy Stephenson are also up for re-election.

A general primary for the local races will be held July 15 with a runoff date scheduled Aug. 5. The general election, which will coincide with the presidential election, will be held Nov. 4.

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