Colquitt County commission to have new chairman

Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, May 23, 2018

MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Colquitt County Commission chairman race and a Colquitt County School Board race were settled on Tuesday, but a runoff will be necessary in the other competitive commission race.

Denver Braswell, in his first political race, won the Republican primary against incumbent Commission Chairman Terry Clark.

In unofficial results Braswell finished with 2,146 votes, or 60.3 percent, while Clark had 1,408 votes, or 39.6 percent.

With no Democratic opponent in the fall, winning the primary means that Braswell is elected to a four-year term that will begin Jan. 1.

In Colquitt County Commission District 1, Barbara Jelks and Darius Dawson will face another runoff election.

Jelks finished with 140 votes, 44.87 percent, followed by Dawson with 105 votes, 33.65 percent, in the Democratic primary contest. Jeron Bridges received 41 votes and James Weeks had 26.

Jelks won a special election earlier this year to fill the unexpired term of Commissioner Luke Strong Jr. That term ends at the end of this year, and Tuesday’s primary election was one step in filling the seat for the next term.

Jelks and Dawson will face each other in a runoff July 24. They are the same pair who were involved in a runoff in April for Strong’s unexpired term.

The winner of the July 24 runoff will face Republican Stacey Williams in November.

In Colquitt County School Board District 5 Pat Anderson won another term in a nonpartisan contest, receiving 503 votes. Charlton Tyler finished with 449 votes.