Republicans select nominees for local races in Dade County [photos]

Evan Stone, second from left, reads election results as they come in at the Dade County County Administrative Building Tuesday, May 22, 2018, in Trenton, Ga.
Evan Stone, second from left, reads election results as they come in at the Dade County County Administrative Building Tuesday, May 22, 2018, in Trenton, Ga.

Republican voters picked their candidates in a handful of county elections that were on the ballot in Dade County on Tuesday.

Lamar Lowery narrowly beat out Jane Dixon in a District 1 County Commission race with 1,057 votes to Dixon's 955. Lowery will face Democrat Patrick Hickey in the general election. Hickey received 225 votes on Tuesday.

In the other contested County Commission race, incumbent Scottie Pittman came out on top with 747 votes. He was challenged by Phillip Hartline, Warren Johnson and Michael Scott, who received 700, 380 and 284 votes, respectively. No Democratic candidates qualified to oppose the Republican nominee.

"It was a good, clean race. We all four ran good campaigns. I didn't hear any mudslinging or any negativity," Pittman said. "I just do what I do. I don't really get out and campaign. I put out a few signs and talk to a few people when I'm out."

Hartline echoed his opponent and said he's looking forward to the runoff election.

"I think I've got a pretty good chance. I'm just going to have to get out and make sure people who voted for me vote again," he said. "That's going to be the hard thing is getting everybody back out to vote again."

Per Georgia state law, Pittman and Hartline, the top two vote-getters, will face each other in a runoff race this summer because neither managed to clinch 50 percent of the vote.

In the race for the District 1 seat open on the Dade County Board of Education, Daniel Case managed to oust the incumbent, Cindy Shaw, 1,276-871. He will run against Democrat Ron Baldwin in the general election. Baldwin ran uncontested and received 204 votes on Tuesday.

Finally, incumbent Jennifer Hartline hung on to the Republican nomination against challenger Larry Williams. Hartline finished with 1,040 votes to Williams' 1,032. No Democratic candidates qualified to face Hartline in the general election.

Dade County voters also rejected a proposed sales tax increase that would have been earmarked for transportation projects throughout the county. The transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax represented a 1 percent increase in the sales tax that county officials said would have allowed them to drive down property taxes for residents.

Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731. Follow him on Twitter @emmettgienapp.

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