Summerville OKs Sunday drink sales

An ELOST in Polk and a TSPLOST in Walker are among the winners in Northwest Georgia elections.

Summerville voters passed alcohol referendums, approving Sunday package and mixed-drink sales in the city beginning Dec. 17.

Polk, Gordon and Walker counties all approved sales tax packages and Euharlee will be adding four homestead exemptions.

Around the Northwest Georgia region, city and county residents weighed in Tuesday on ballot questions and elected officials. A few have races that are going into runoffs.

Elections officials in neighboring counties provided the following information on how their contests turned out:

Bartow County

Cartersville Mayor Matt Santini was easily returned to office, taking more than 90 percent of the vote over challenger Barbara Jackson. Cary Roth edged out Joey Pogue for the sole contested city council seat, 361 to 339.

Adairsville City Council incumbent Lee Castro won another term with 114 votes to 76 for challenger Lynn Whitt Whitlock.

In Kingston, Louise Young Harris beat Vivian Shaw, 69 to 31, for the Post 4 city council seat.

Voters in the city of White picked Kim Dupree Billue as mayor over David King, 94 to 73. They also filled two at-large city council seats. Incumbent Dennis R. Huskins was returned to office but newcomer Tina Wilhite ousted David Richards. Norman Gary Crisp also ran.

Euharlee elected a mayor from two former city council members. Steve Worthington beat Ron Nesbitt by 25 votes, 175 to 150. More than 90 percent of the voters also checked “yes” to four homestead tax exemptions: for disabled people, those over 65, those over 62 and for the first $10,000 on everyone’s home.

Chattooga County

Summerville Mayor Harry Harvey won, 305 to 136, over challenger Christopher Nixon. City Councilmember David Ford’s 228 votes returned him to office against Michael Mack, 133, and Betty Brady, 84. Incumbent Buddy Windle beat Bobby Patterson, 262 to 172.

City residents also approved Sunday beer and wine sales at stores and restaurants, 273 to 170, and Sunday mixeddrink sales, 250 to 180.

Trion Mayor Larry Stansell was reelected over Tonya Abernathy, 211 to 129. Jeff Wilson took the council seat from incumbent Michael Casey Brown, 235 to 102. Jeff Maddux won the school board special election outright, with 191 votes compared to 80 for Thomas Venn, 48 for Secret Ingle and 24 for Chris Witt.

Polk County

Polk voters overwhelmingly supported the proposed education local option sales tax package, 2,032 to 611. A second round of construction at Cedartown and Rockmart high schools and sports facility improvements are among the planned projects.

Cedartown voters returned incumbents Matt Foster and Jordan Hubbard to the city commission over challengers Jessica Payton and Patrick McNally.

Rockmart will have a runoff for the

board of education seat in which no one took more than 50 percent of the vote. Judy Wiggins, with 42.3 percent, and Chris Culver, with 38.9 percent will vie again Dec. 5. Carolyn Williams was the third candidate.

Gordon County

Just under 8 percent of Gordon County’s voters showed up to overwhelmingly pass the proposed special purpose, local option sales tax package. Among the many projects are a fire station in Sugar Valley, an agricultural center, trails, recreation, a dog park and a morgue.

Calhoun City Councilman Matt Barton lost to challenger George Crowley, who took 55 percent of the vote. A Dec. 5 runoff for the other open seat is slated between Alvin Long, who had 35.7 percent, and Ray Denmon, who took 32.4 percent. Ed Moyer also ran.

Resaca also will have a runoff for a town council seat. Frontrunner Michael Austin barely missed an outright win, with 49 percent of the vote. He’ll face Randy Barron, who got 30.6 percent. Mitch Reed is out, with just 20.4 percent.

Walker County

Walker County will start collecting a 1-cent transportation sales tax on April 1, 2018. The TSPLOST levy for road projects will run for five years. It won approval from 70 percent of the voters, 2,622 to 1,122.

LaFayette City Council incumbent Beacher Garmany was returned to office over Vic Burgess, 340 to 189.

Chickamauga also re-elected incumbents to three at-large city council seats. Evitte Parrish, with 337 votes, Randall Dalton, with 310, and Don Martin, with 234, were the top-three finishers. Lance Tarvin garnered 200 votes, Doug Cogswell got 129 and James Powell pulled in 91.

Catoosa County

Ringgold City Council member Randall Franks was re-elected and Kelly Bomar ousted Jake Haynes in a fourway race for two at-large seats. Bomar won 209 votes, Franks took 188, Rhonda Bishop Swaney got 167 and Haynes got 146.