Bartow School Board Members Defeated In May 22 Primary Elections

CARTERSVILLE, GA — Two incumbents on the Bartow County School Board have been ousted from their seats by voters in the May 22 primary elections. John Howard and Davis Nelson were defeated by their Republican challengers Tony Ross and Terry Lee Eggert, respectively.

According to unofficial results on the Georgia Secretary of State's website, Ross defeated Howard with 65 percent, or 841 votes to take the District 1 seat. Howard received 36 percent, which amounts to 446 votes. Ross will face Democratic challenger Larry Slocum in the Nov. 6 election.

Incumbent District 2 member Davis Nelson also lost his bid in the Republican primary, as he was defeated by challenger Terry Lee Eggert. Eggert received 70 percent, or 695 votes compared to Nelson's 30 percent, or 298 votes. Eggert will not face Democratic opposition in the general election.

Incumbent Republicans Derek Keeney of District 3 faced no opposition, and will go head-to-head in the Nov. 6 general election against Democrat Willie Coombs.

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Voters also gave the go-ahead for Bartow County to renew the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. That ballot question received 62 percent, or 5,182 votes, in the affirmative while 38 percent, or 3,229 voted against the measure.

The county has also been given the OK by voters to exercise options outlined in the Georgia Redevelopment Powers Law. This means you have given the county approval to establish a tax allocation district and collect revenue from that tax for economic development purposes. This referendum passed with 56 percent, or 4,598 votes. However, 44 percent, or 3,564 voters, rejected the measure.

The boundaries would be set by the county and as private investment and public improvements are made in that area, the property's taxable value in the district would also rise. According to the county, these increased values would spell an increase in property tax revenues. Bartow County would collect the money and use the funds to "pay back the costs of the infrastructure or other redevelopment costs in the district." Those costs, the county adds, can be incurred either by the developer or by the local government and may be financed by bonds or loans or funded directly.

At the state level, voters in State House District 15 have chosen Matthew Gambill as the Republican who will succeed retiring State Rep. Paul Battles. Gambill defeated Republican challenger Allan Levene with 87 percent, or 3,046 votes. Levene received 13 percent, or 438 votes.

You can view Bartow County election results in detail by visiting the Secretary of State's website.

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