Alright, alright, alright, Piedmont! Hope it's lovely out there.
So, after this 3-month bout of craziness we've been enduring, we've got an election on. No rest for weary - politics carries on.
BOC 3
By all accounts, Nancy Shulz is in the fight of her electoral life. One Alana Sanders, that - as were told - has the backing of Newton Co. Sheriff Ezell Brown, Clerk of Court Linda Hayes, the Henderson political machine as well as ole Wm Thomas "Tommy" Craig, Esq.
Multiple sources have informed this writer that if elected, Sanders could be counted on for the 3rd vote (along w/ Mason & Henderson) to bring back Craig as County Attorney.
That's kind of concerning.
Additionally, questions have been raised regarding Ms Sanders' life & work history. According to her multiple websites, she is a professor, textbook writer, singer, musician, exercise guru, consultant & apparently at least a few other things. Also, it seems as if not too many folks - R or D - even know who she is or have ever heard of her.
--Quick Sidebar--
In case if you didn't know, Megan Martin - the attorney w/ the law firm of Jarrard & Davis that now acts as our county attorney - has billed Newton Co. basically the same amount that Craig did in the last several years leading up to his unceremonious sacking by the 2015 edition of the Newton Co. BOC. Or, as I put it a while back - "we've just traded one Tommy Craig for another."
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This publication both emailed & called (and left a voicemail) Sanders, but with no response.
I've taken Shulz to task on a few things over the years as you might remember; however, she has always been willing to talk to me, and she always seems to shoot straight.
The future of Newton Co. will be greatly impacted by this primary, no matter which way it turns out. It'll be interesting to watch.
And just so there's no confusion - the last thing Newton Co. even needs to think about doing is bringing back WTC as county attorney. He cost us so much money (remember, his county attorney fees were just part of his financial drain on the home county - don't forget the water & landfill consulting fees, and the other things.)
Superior Court Judgeship
An old line of thought is that Superior Court judges aren't elected, rather they are appointed & unlike the Ozburn judgeship, this decision will actually be handled at the voting booth. The Alcovy Judicial Circuit encompasses both Newton & Walton counties. One also must keep in mind that this is a non-partisan race decided during the primary election, meaning that all three choices will be on everybody's ballot.
The smart money on this one seems to be on Robert "Bob" Stansfield. The longtime Covington attorney is known for his intelligence and skills & seems to have the backing of a wide cross-section of Covington & Newton Co. particularly, but also a pretty good presence in Monroe & Walton Co. Jeffrey Foster, a Monroe attorney, is also well regarded but may not have the ability to pull the needed votes in the county to the west. But - and this is a big but - we have 3 candidates vying for this seat. Cheveda McCamy, an African-American, female attorney from Covington will be a major factor in this race. It seems very possible that given these dynamics this one will go to a runoff.
GOP Sheriff Primary
Based on informal polling, putting my hand on the ground & reaching out to some of the network chiefs, it's looking as if Ken Malcom will emerge victorious after tomorrow most likely in the realm of a 60/40 split, or higher.
This will set the stage for one of the most exciting countywide races we've had in the home county in quite some time - Ezell vs Ken. I'm getting excitable just thinking about it...
BOC 5 Dem Primary
The BOC 5 Dem primary might be one to keep an eye on. Casey Duren, a well known & liked fella, is a somewhat fiscally conservative moderate democrat that could probably have a real chance at knocking off incumbent Ronnie Cowan in the general; however, the thought was that he probably wouldn't have much of a shot at winning the democratic primary. But, that changed once it was confirmed that there were a total of three candidates running for this one. It seems very possible that Casey could make it to a runoff. And the old line of thinking with runoffs is that all bets are off & that anything can happen!
Okay, folks, that'll do it for now. I'll be back in touch Wednesday to discuss it on the other side.
- MBM
