One in five Monroe County voters showed up Tuesday to reshape Forsyth’s city council and greenlight another round of school construction funding.
Why it matters: The results will determine who controls local spending decisions and whether Monroe County students get new buildings and renovations over the next five years.
What’s happening: In the city of Forsyth, Challenger Walter “Skipper” Goodson unseated incumbent Chris Hewett for Post 2 by 48 votes, while Mike Dodd held onto Post 6 by just 32 votes against challenger Glynn Holmes. Chuck Wilder Jr. ran unopposed and kept his Post 5 seat.
The big picture: The 72% approval of the ESPLOST—Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax—means Monroe County will continue collecting a penny sales tax to fund school construction and technology. That’s nearly three “yes” votes for every “no.”
Between the lines: Just 5,128 of the county’s 24,268 registered voters cast ballots—a turnout of 21.3%. The races that drew the most attention were decided by margins thin enough to fit in a school classroom.
Catch up quick: While voters threw out two incumbents in Forsyth, they went against the mood of the state, favoring the incumbents in the Public Service Commission Race. Republicans Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson took about 64% of the Monroe County vote, which is the opposite of how they did statewide, as Georgia voters sent the PSC incumbents packing.
The sources: Monroe County Board of Elections.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
