Whitfield County school board race heads to runoff
May 25—The top two vote-getters, Joe Barnett and Greg Williams, in a three-way battle for the Republican Party nomination for the District 4 seat on the Whitfield County Board of Education will head to a June 21 runoff after neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote in Tuesday's primary.
Barnett, a retired teacher, assistant principal and principal, received 3,537 votes, while Williams, who was in sales at Expert Die for two decades before moving to inventory control three years ago, received 2,611, and Amber McMahan, a nurse practitioner, received 2,205.
"I'm excited by the enthusiasm of folks coming out to vote (in the primary) and looking forward to June 21," said Barnett, who moved to Whitfield County in 1989 when he began teaching at Northwest Whitfield High School. "I hope people feel my experience in education is a plus with board service and school policy discussions."
Williams, who campaigned mainly on bringing an agriculture education center to Whitfield County Schools, but also adding opportunities for students in fine arts and other extracurricular activities, "would like to thank all the voters who turned out for a record primary season for Whitfield County," he said. "To those who voted for me, I appreciate every single one of you."
In the weeks leading to the June 21 runoff, "we'll try to get our message out and meet more folks," said Barnett, who spent 33 years in education before retiring from Whitfield County Schools but remains involved in education through Lee University by helping supervise and advise student teachers. "I want to talk to them (voters) about issues and concerns they have about education in our community."
"Student learning has to be the focus, (as well as) involving our families in that student learning and providing them resources," said Barnett, who was assistant principal at North Whitfield Middle School, then principal at Beaverdale Elementary School, New Hope Middle School and Valley Point Middle School. "Innovation and opportunity" are important for students in providing "a world-class education."
"I know what opportunities our students have, and don't have" but ought to have, he said. Additionally, "I feel I have a real strong understanding of (being a) good steward of taxpayer dollars."
Williams will "be redoubling my efforts to secure the ballot spot for District 4" in the weeks leading up to the runoff, he said. "I believe the runoff will be a much tighter race."
School board elections are countywide, and Republican Joseph Farmer opted not to seek reelection. No Democrat qualified. The term is four years.
Earlier this year, incumbent Jamie Johnson qualified as a Republican to seek reelection for the Whitfield County Board of Education for District 2, and Republican incumbent Bill Worley — currently the board chairman — did likewise for the at-large seat. Both are unopposed by a Democrat. Worley received 7,929 votes in the primary, while Johnson received 7,751.
The deadline for someone seeking to run as a write-in candidate to file and publish a notice of intent is Sept. 6, and Sept. 11 is the deadline to file an affidavit.
Barnett was happy to see three candidates run for the District 4 position, rather than only one unopposed candidate.
"It was a good race, and civic engagement is so important," he said. "Both Greg and Amber were students at Northwest when I taught there, and now they have children in Whitfield County Schools, (so) we all agreed that whoever won, we'd be happy."
McMahan echoed those sentiments.
"I don't like to lose, but I didn't think the voters would be disappointed in any of the three of us, and I appreciate all of the votes, because it's very humbling to get all that support," she said. "My goal was just to be of service, a parent willing to get in and do some work."
