They may wonder still as Gaines celebrates her runoff victory over the Rev. Henry Brown, but the former Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority official has an answer that’s as dynamic as it is simple.
“We just worked harder than everybody else,” Gaines said Tuesday night after she claimed roughly 62 percent of the vote in the southwest Dougherty district, easily outdistancing pastor/educator Brown. “We’ve been out there meeting the people in the community, passing out flyers, getting our message across.
“I think it came down to presenting a good image and taking the right position on a number of important issues.”
With all seven District 5 precincts and absentee ballots counted Tuesday night, Gaines had collected 2,044 votes to Brown’s 1,257. Only provisional ballots were left to be counted.
“The responsibility starts now,” Gaines said as she took congratulatory phone calls from friends and supporters. “I think it’s important now that I start to examine the county’s budget, see how that process works. In these tough economic times, that’s a vital area of concern.
“And while it’s an issue that’s more on the state and national level, I think we have to look at how our folk might benefit from the bailout funds that the government is making available.”
But the newest commissioner, who replaces the late Art Searles, whose sudden death on Aug. 19 just more than a month after winning a second full four-year term made the called election necessary, said there was a more immediate concern that would become a first priority.
“I’m so looking forward to meeting my fellow commissioners and getting to know them,” she said.
Local elections officials said the runoff, which featured a hotly contested U.S. Senate showdown between incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin among other races, had come off with few hitches.
“Everything went smoothly; I think everything went well,” said Elections Supervisor Carolyn Hatcher, who will retire in March after a 30-year career. “We won’t have the totals until later, but I’m hoping we’ll end up with between 30 and 40 percent of the voters turning out. Some of the precincts are reporting a heavier turnout than during the general election, and that’s unbelievable.
“One precinct that had drawn 200 voters in the last runoff had had more than 1,400 votes cast by late afternoon. It’s all part of a long election year, and I’m glad to see that it’s finally over. I think everyone in this office is just exhausted.”
Gaines, who had received slightly more than 48 percent of the vote in the Nov. 4 primary, took an early lead in the runoff race and was never threatened as the precinct reports came in. She is expected to join the County Commission for its final two meetings of the year before being officially sworn in in January.
“I’m humbled by the support I’ve received from the community,” she said. “I’m ready to go now, ready to work. I’m committed to this community, and I’m ready to start serving the people of my district.”
