Five and a half days of candidate qualifying ended at noon Friday, launching several Bulloch County contests headed to the May 24 party primaries and nonpartisan general election and two races already destined for Nov. 8.
Preston Tutt III, an auto parts store assistant manager, qualified as a Republican for Seat 1-B on the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners, and so will face incumbent Anthony Simmons, a Democrat and the longest-serving current commissioner, on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. First, each will appear unopposed on their parties’ separate primary ballots May 24.
But the busiest race to emerge is for Seat 2-B, from which incumbent Commissioner Walter Gibson announced he plans to retire at year end and so did not sign up for re-election. Now three Republicans and one Democrat have signed up and paid their qualifying fees.
Republicans Travis Chance, a financial planner who previously served on Statesboro City Council; Toby Conner, a current farmer and previous Georgia Ports Authority stevedore; and Jennifer Campbell Mock, a local attorney, will face off May 24 for their party’s nomination to Seat 2-B. Then the Democrat, Jake Hallman, a video production company owner and teacher, will face the Republican nominee on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Among county commission candidates, only Commissioner Timmy Rushing, Republican incumbent in Seat 2-D, is running completely unopposed.
BOE races
Bulloch County Board of Education seats are nonpartisan and so can be decided May 24. But a three-candidate race has emerged in BOE District 4. So a June 21 runoff is possible. Retired principal Donna Clifton and organization treasurer Kathy C. Sherrod are running as challengers to incumbent board member April Newkirk, an educator of teachers.
In BOE District 5, Shontelle Childress, currently a stay-at-home mother testing for her real estate license, is challenging incumbent board member Glennera Martin, a retired educator.
In BOE District 6, preschool teacher Mary E. Boyer is the challenger, while banker Jay Cook is the incumbent member seeking re-election.
The only unopposed BOE candidate is Elizabeth Y. Williams in District 2, where she will succeed incumbent member Mike Sparks, who is retiring from the board in December after serving several years as chair by choice of the other members.
The only local race to be decided by voters countywide is the nonpartisan contest for Bulloch County State Court judge between challenger Michael Classens and incumbent Joseph L. Cushner, to be decided May 24.
But state legislative seats, U.S. House and Senate seats and state executive offices from governor to labor commissioner will appear on the primary ballots. The early voting opportunity is set to open May 2 and will include two Saturdays.