Wright and Strickland in runoff forD4 seat

May 21—Jay Wright III and Andrew Strickland will see each other next month in a runoff election for the District 4 seat on the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners.

The runoff election is set for Tuesday, June 18.

Wright, a local business owner, received the most votes in the three-candidate field in Tuesday's primary, vying for the seat currently held by Commissioner Henry R. Craig, who decided not to seek re-election.

Wright garnered a total of 502 votes, while Strickland, a flight paramedic with a medical helicopter company, came in second place with 447 votes, according to unofficial election totals released by Baldwin County Elections Superintendent Todd A. Blackwell.

The third-place finisher in the race was Carol Ballew, who received 253 votes.

"I'm excited and disappointed all at the same time," Wright told The Union-Recorder Tuesday night.

The reason — it's not over.

"I'm very pleased to be in the runoff and appreciate the support of the voters that came out and voted Tuesday," Wright said. "Any time there is a runoff, it's going to boil down to voter turnout."

He said he looks forward to continuing his campaign to become the new District 4 county commissioner.

Strickland said he, too, looks forward to the runoff election.

"It feels good to be in the runoff," Strickland said. "I really appreciate everyone who has supported me along the way. The real thing that I feel right now is that if you are a candidate who wasn't successful Tuesday night, you didn't lose. There's still a good candidate to vote for, and I look forward to earning those who voted for me Tuesday again in the runoff election."