Rhodes wins Republican nomination for coroner
Mar. 19—EFFINGHAM — Kim Rhodes will likely keep her position as Effingham County coroner after winning her party's nomination for the seat Tuesday.
Rhodes received 3,964 or 64% of the votes cast while her opponent, Matthew Brown, received 2,186 or 35%, according to unofficial online results, which showed of the 23,840 voters registered in the county, 29% cast ballots in the primary race. Many of those were early voters.
With no candidates for coroner on the Democratic ballot, Rhodes is currently unopposed heading into the general election.
Rhodes said she chose to seek another term because her office is in excellent shape. She credited her staff of five, who, she said, have lots of training and experience, from paramedics to law enforcement.
"I got a good staff here, and they make my job easy. It's 24 hours a day, seven days a week a year, so we stay busy. I think we do a good job," she told the Daily News in December.
Brown is a correctional officer for the Effingham County Sheriff's Office. He also works part-time as an emergency room technician at HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital, is a volunteer firefighter with Shumway Fire Protection District, and was a ground search technician with Effingham County Search and Rescue. He is a lifelong resident of Effingham County.
Brown told the Daily News in December he chose to run for coroner because, with a career in public service, he has dealt with death under many different circumstances.
"While new to running for formal political office, I am not new to public safety. I understand the needs of this office," he said.
