Thomas re-elected by razor-thin margin; BOE incumbents defeated; Hill takes clerk's race; Franklin, Macomson, Foster win

Subhead

Franklin County voters returned two incumbents to office in Tuesday’s primaries and chose one office holder for a different seat, while selecting new faces in the rest of the seven local races.

Image
  • Poll watchers use flashlights to look over election results Tuesday at the Franklin County Elections and Registration Office.
    Poll watchers use flashlights to look over election results Tuesday at the Franklin County Elections and Registration Office.
Body

CARNESVILLE – Franklin County voters returned two incumbents to office in Tuesday’s primaries and chose one office holder for a different seat, while selecting new faces in the rest of the seven local races.

A heavy turnout of 6,496 voters cast ballots – whether by mail-in absentee, early voting or on Election Day Tuesday – in the primary election. 

A large majority of those voted in the Republican Primary, which included all of races for local office.

The closest race of the night was for sheriff.

Unofficial results show that incumbent Stevie Thomas won a fifth term with 2,874 votes to challenger Scott Andrews’ 2,848. The 26-vote margin is just .45 percent of the 5,722 votes cast in the race.

Incumbent Robert Franklin won reelection in the race for the District 1 post on the Franklin County Board of Commissioners.

Franklin won 4,112 votes to defeat challengers Sheila Baker (971 votes) and Doris Warwick (578 votes).

Jason Macomson, who currently holds the District 2 seat on the board of commissioners, was elected to be the next chairman of the commissioners.

Macomson defeated Britt Ginn and Christopher Roach without a runoff in the three-person race.

Macomson garnered 3,267 votes to Ginn’s 1,722 and Roach’s 578.

Kyle Foster will take over as District 2 commissioner with Macomson moving to chairman.

Foster defeated Dawn Holcomb by a 3,595 vote to 1,792 vote margin in the District 2 commission race.

Heather Vaughn Hill won the Clerk of Superior Court post without a runoff in another three-person race.

Hill got 3,089 votes to defeat Tonya Bridges (1,501 votes) and Nick Fowler (1,009 votes) to win the seat currently held by Missy Holbrook, who will retire at the end of the year.

Voters turned out two members of the Franklin County Board of Education.

Former Franklin County High School agriculture teacher Gary Minyard defeated incumbent Eric Burrell 3,113 votes to 2,463 in the race for the Post 1 seat.

In the Post 2 race, former school board member Kent Hall defeated incumbent Jo Beth James by a 3,189-2,403 vote margin.