Local & State Headlines

Election qualifying on-going

• Five more Republicans enter the field for several Lee County offices while a district attorney candidate announces he will not run.

Susan McCord

ALBANY — After a hard first day, candidate qualifying slowed to a trickle Tuesday in metro Albany.

Only two candidates qualified in Dougherty County, one Republican and one Democrat, after a dozen paid their fees Monday to run in 15 local races.

Laura Calhoun qualified Tuesday as a Republican for the School Board District 1 seat currently held by David Maschke.

“I’ve got the time in my life right now,” said Calhoun, who has a daughter who attends Merry Acres Middle School and son who attends Live Oak Elementary. “I’ve had plenty of time on PTO and I’m ready to step it up a level.”

Maschke said he plans to qualify later in the week to run for a third term as a Republican.

“Given my experience, my attention to details and willingness to say what needs to be said, that’s why I’m going to run again,” he said.

Judith Corbett qualified Monday as a Democrat for the District 1 post.

The only other Dougherty candidate to sign up to run Tuesday was local contractor Harry James, who announced Monday he’d be seeking the District 5 Dougherty County Commission seat held by Art Searles. Both Searles, who qualified Monday, and James are running as Democrats.

Voters will cast either Democratic or Republican ballots in the July 15 general primary.

Five more Republican candidates qualified Tuesday to run for 11 partisan posts in Lee County.

They included former Chief Deputy Clerk of Courts Sara Clark, who plans to run for the clerk of Superior Court post currently held by Sondra Cook.

Tricia Quinn became the second Lee County woman to qualify to run for Lee County tax commissioner Tuesday for the post Betty Johnson is vacating to run for Lee County Commission. Norma Smith qualified Monday for the post.

Also qualifying Tuesday were long-time Lee County Sheriff Harold Breeden and Coroner Ronald Rowe.

Breeden faces opposition this year from former deputy Reggie Rachals, who qualified Monday.

Lee County Commission Chairman Morris Leverette qualified Tuesday to run for another term as commissioner from Lee’s Century District, said the chairman of Lee County Republican Party, Tom Heldenberg.

Joe Adair qualified Monday to run for the Century District post.

The men will likely face a third opponent, insurance agent Rick Muggridge, who announced his candidacy to The Albany Herald late Tuesday.

Heldenberg said he’s accustomed to seeing a wide field of quality candidates run for Lee county offices.

“In Little League, we used to say if their level of play is the same as yours, you always play down. You always want to play up. That’s what makes you better — Why not compete against the best?”

He’s expecting a heavier turnout of qualifiers today from 3-6 p.m. at his U.S. 19 auto shop.

Lee Republicans will have one less choice to make July 15 with the withdrawal of Leesburg attorney Ray Fajardo from the race for District Attorney of the Southwestern Judicial Circuit.

Fajardo, who was opposed by Americus attorney Plez Hardin in the Republican primary, announced in the Lee County Ledger he would not be seeking the post. Fajardo could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Hardin, who qualified Monday in Atlanta to run for the post, said if Fajardo does not run it likely will help him in heavily Republican Lee County, which which now has the most registered voters in any of the six counties comprising the Southwestern Judicial Circuit.

“If he doesn’t run, that means I won’t have to run two campaigns,” Hardin said.

He won’t face likely opponent incumbent Cecilia Cooper, who has announced her plans to run as a Democrat, until the Nov. 4 general election.

After 11 candidates qualified Monday to run for 13 local elected offices in Worth County, none turned out to qualify Tuesday, qualifying agents for both parties said.

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