A new sheriff in town, runoffs in 2 county commission races, change coming to school board
10:32 p.m. — I was saying cautiously the past few days that Sheriff Wayne Hannah could lose, but I never figured how badly he would get beat. Former Sheriff’s Captain Barry Babb will take office Jan. 1 to replace the one-term incumbent Hannah.
Big shifts in power will be coming to the Fayette County Commission and the Board of Education.
Charles Oddo handed incumbent Robert Horgan a big beating in Post 1 of the Fayette County Commission, while comeback-wannabe Jack Smith — the former chairman of the commission — came in third in a 3-person race.
The runoff will be in three weeks between David Barlow and 2nd place finisher Sheila Huddleston for Post 2.
Incumbent Lee Hearn hung in there to draw a runoff slot against top vote-getter Randy Ognio for Post 3 on the commission.
Ga. Tech professor Barry Marchman won a seat on the Board of Education, beating Scott Hollowell by 1,200 votes for Post 1.
Mercer University professor Mary Kay Bacallao beat Gary Griffin by 3,000 votes to face party-switcher and incumbent Terri Smith for the Post 2 seat in November.
Sunday package sales won in unincorporated Fayette, while the same question ended in a tie — 20 to 20 — in tiny Woolsey. Maybe somebody should have been handing out at least one more free beer Tuesday in the south Fayette hamlet.
T-SPLOST went down badly in Fayette. Wonder if the Fayette Chamber of Commerce has a Plan B. No problem: They can share a loser’s beer with former Fayetteville Mayor Ken Steele and former commission Chairman Smith — both supporters of the doomed tax. Just don’t try to buy a cold one on Sunday in Woolsey.
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9:49 p.m. — Sheriff: Barry Babb 13,108 votes (64%) to incumbent Wayne Hannah’s 7,362 (36%).
Oddo 69%, Horgan 31% ….. Barlow 40%, Huddleston 39%, Smith 21% …. Ognio 43%, Hearn 38%, Stopford 18%
Marchman 57%, Hollowell 43% …. Bacallao 68%, Griffin 32%
McMillian 66%, Ott 34%
Thompson 55%, Sanderson 45%
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More returns 9:34 p.m. — Tax Commissioner Wingo leads Bartlett 68% to 31%.
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I’ll be blogging returns as I get them tonight, supplemented by reporters John Munford and Ben Nelms at election offices in Fayette and Coweta counties.
9:15 p.m. — 16% vote counted (11,817 ballots counted). Oddo leads Horgan 70% to 30%. Barlow leads 40%, Huddleston 38%, Smith 22%. Hearn 38%, Ognio 42%, Stopford 18%.
Hollowell 42%, Marchman 58%. Bacallao 68%, Griffin 31%
McMillian 66%, Ott 34%;
Sanderson 43%, Thompson 57%
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9:06 p.m. — Looks like Sheriff Wayne Hannah is in trouble, trailing Barry Babb by nearly 2,000 votes.
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8:52 p.m.: Sunday package sales Fayette, 66% YES to 34% NO
T-SPLOST — NO 79 % to 21% YES
McMillian 66%, Ott 33%
Thompson 56%, Sanderson 43%
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8:29 p.m. — Babb 59%, Hannah 40%
Horgan 30%, Oddo 69%
Barlow 40%, Huddleston 35%, Smith 23%
Hearn 38%, Ognio 42%, Stopford 18%
Hollowell 42%, Marchman 57%
Bacallao 66%, Griffin 33%
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8:22 p.m. — Oddo 2-to-1 ahead of Horgan;
8:20 p.m. —Westmoreland whupping Kingsley and the other guy 2-to-1 at this point. He looks likely to escape without a runoff.
8:12 p.m. — Potential upset in the making? Barry Babb leads incumbent Sheriff Wayne Hannah in very early returns.
