Incumbent Republican Alex Ward faced two opponents and a now-dismissed ethics complaint in the Barrow County Commission District 4 Republican Primary.
Despite that, Ward avoided a runoff altogether to be the presumptive winner of the commission seat. He secured roughly 53% of the vote.
His most vocal critic and filer of the dismissed ethics complaint regarding paid court mediation work, private investigator Robin Martinelli, got second place with 30% of the vote. Salvation Army board member and longtime Barrow resident Eric Craft got 17% of the vote.
“I feel great … I just want to say thank you to the voters of Barrow County District 4 for once again placing their trust in me to serve as their county commissioner,” Ward told AccessWDUN Wednesday. “I am incredibly grateful for the support, the encouragement and honestly, even the tough conversations throughout this campaign season.”
Ward added he will run uncontested in November and that he wanted the opportunity to continue the work that was started over the last several years.
“We focused on improving public safety, addressing traffic and infrastructure concerns, and protecting taxpayers, and making sure people feel like they actually have a commissioner who listens and is accessible,” Ward said.
He also thanked Martinelli and Craft, saying he believes competition pushes them to work harder. AccessWDUN asked if either challenger contacted him after the results came in.
“Eric Craft sent me a very nice text message last night, congratulating me on the win. I appreciate that … at the end of the day, we’re still all neighbors,” Ward said. “I have not heard from Martinelli as of yet.”
The final vote splits were 579 for Ward, 330 for Martinelli, and 187 for Craft.
“Today isn’t about celebrating,” Ward said. “It’s really about moving on, it’s about getting back to work … Barrow County continues to grow and face new challenges, and so I remain committed to smart decision making, protecting the character of our community, and making sure residents have a voice in the process.”
The post Alex Ward wins primary for Barrow Co. Commission District 4 appeared first on AccessWDUN.
