VALDOSTA —
The race for Lowndes County Commission Super District 5 ended a contest of firsts Friday — the first commissioner to be seated in the new district and the first time more than 100 votes were disqualified from a Lowndes County Commission election.
After a close race on Tuesday, the Lowndes County Board of Elections certified that John Page was elected as the first commissioner to represent the newly created Super District 5.
Page beat opponent Jody Hall 925-858 with 51.88 percent of the popular vote, by a narrow margin of 67 votes.
Page was hoping to win by a wider margin, but is “glad to have it over with,” he told The Times Friday.
“I want to commend Jody Hall for running a good campaign, and say that I still count Jody as a friend,” Page said. “I want to see the county find a place of service for him because I think he’s earned the right to serve. I will continue to work with Jody and look for a place for him. He’s led two well-run campaigns in 2010 and 2012, and I have a lot of respect for him.”
Page believes the narrow margin shows that the residents of District 5 have near-equal respect for both he and Hall, he said.
“I think it was a hard decision for a lot of people to make, not because of personal issues, but just because they know both of us worked hard,” Page said. “Jody has lived here most of his life, and I have, too.”
To District 5, Page brings his experience as a commissioner on the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, as a state-licensed insurance broker, and as a former chairman of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce Economic Development and Taxation Policy Committee.
The race was too close to call Tuesday following the initial tally of votes from the runoff election between the two Super District 5 candidates. The Board of Elections still had more than 100 provisional ballots and about 15 military ballots from overseas, but out of 105 provisional ballots, only four votes were counted. The Board of Elections received no military ballots.
The disqualified votes represent voters who weren’t registered; who had already voted early; who had registered Democratic and so were barred from the Republican runoff; or who live in District 4 and were ineligible to vote in the District 5 race, said Lowndes County Supervisor of Elections Deb Cox. Most were the latter.
“Generally 65 to 85 percent of the votes get counted,” Cox said. “This is a unique circumstance.”
Cox attributed the anomaly to the new district division lines — another first for many residents — signs that were posted outside of District 5 and propaganda letters sent to residents outside of the district.
“The brand-new district added to the confusion,” Cox said.
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