Wetherington wins
Assistant District Attorney Kay Ann Wetherington is voted in to be the next Floyd County Superior Court judge, to fill the seat being vacated by Tami Colston.
With the clock pushing toward midnight Tuesday, one Kay Ann Wetherington supporter waited outside the bustling room filled with Floyd County elections board members to be the first to hear the woman she has known for over 40 years was going to be a judge.
Shirley Popay — who worked as the clerk for Wetherington’s father, a probate court judge in Gordon County — had her fingers crossed for over three hours while standing on the second floor of the Floyd County Administrative Building as the results came in that Wetherington was elected to be Superior Court Judge Tami Colston’s successor.
After months of dogged campaigning — door-to-door stops and waving from busy intersections — Wethering- ton, an assistant district attorney of 20 years, beat out local attorney Emily Matson in the nonpartisan general election by a margin of 1,675 votes.
Wetherington received 5,810 votes to Matson’s 4,135. A total of 9,951 votes were cast in the race — there were six write-in votes.
“I’ve just been humbled by the support and the confidence the people of Floyd County have shown tonight in electing me their next superior court judge,” Wetherington said. “I am so grateful.”
A lifelong goal of Wetherington’s has been achieved in being voted in as a judge, she said, as she has always hoped to have the opportunity one day. And she recalled the late Robert G. Walther, a longtime superior court judge, telling her she should wait until people started encouraging her to run. That moment came last year, she said.
The race between Wetherington and Matson was the only competitive one in the county, with no primary challengers on the ballot.
Both candidates reported five-figure spending by the end of March, with the total campaign spending by the two at the time at $55,957 — $26,957 for Wetherington and $29,000 for Matson.
Wetherington touted her experience in leading criminal prosecutions, while Matson honed in on the broad reach of her background in varied cases.
Matson, a general civil litigator specializing in family law, reflected on the lessons of running for public office in her hometown by saying it was a pleasure to promote her “professional experience and rekindle lifelong relationships.” A race can simply be “an incredible mountain to climb” with meaningful experiences along the way, she said.
“It has been my passion and my privilege to go all over Floyd County and interact with and try to win the votes of my fellow Floyd Countians,” she said. “I’m proud of the race that we’ve run and I look forward to being a passionate advocate for my clients in front of Judge Wetherington.”
As for any future races, Matson said she is turning her focus on the clients she serves through her private practice with her husband.