Blakemore is GOP winner for Walker commission District 1

He will face Democrat Bobby McDonald in Nov. 3 election

Robert John Blakemore sailed past James “Jim” Hill in the June 9 Republican primary for Walker County Board of Commissioners District 1’s seat. The district includes Rossville and the northeast corner of the county.

Blakemore captured 1,145 votes, or roughly 65% of votes cast, and will face off against Democrat Bobby McDonald in the Nov. 3 general election. Hill netted 620 votes. The results are unofficial results, pending counting of a few provisional ballots, according to the Walker County Board of Elections.

“We gave it our all,” Hill said. “We (he and Blakemore) presented two good candidates and ran two good campaigns.”

Hill publicly congratulated his rival on his victory in a Facebook past.

“I’m grateful for the support we got from the community and the people of District 1,” Blakemore said, adding that he appreciates his wife’s support and hard work during the campaign.

Blakemore attended auction school, worked for the county’s road department for more than seven years and is currently part of the management team at his family’s trucking company.

“I am a limited government Republican candidate,” Blakemore said during the campaign. “I am the only candidate for District 1 that stands for smaller government and less taxes. I stand for property owners’ rights and less regulation on property and business owners.”

Blakemore identified rebuilding the county’s road department, ensuring the county’s infrastructure is maintained, as a top campaign priority. He also stated his opposition to the county’s clean and lien program, a legal process by which the county may tear down and place on a lien on a property if the owner fails to comply with a court order to repair or demolish a dilapidated building.

Hill, who attended the Columbia School of Broadcasting, has held several positions throughout his broadcasting career, including program director, news director, on-air staff and production director. He asserted if elected that his listening skills and experience working with businesses would be assets.

“The largest concern for District 1 is cleaning up our area,” he said during the campaign. “Codes enforcement has been overlooked for many years with nothing done to clear the area of old buildings with boarded-up windows, homes left to ruin, and not to mention the homes which are not fit for a soul to live being used as a rental property.”

Other goals he announced were giving the sheriff more deputies and equipment to cover District 1 and providing taxpayers with roadside mowing, ditch cleaning, animal control and more.