Candidates and supporters gathered at the Oconee County Courthouse Tuesday night as results from the July 15 primary election trickled in for nearly two hours.

At the end of the evening, voters had selected one new County Commissioner and four of five Board of Education members while a runoff is expected in August to determine the next County Coroner.

With a sizable lead that would soon lead to a decisive victory over challenger Esther Porter, Commission Post 3 incumbent Margaret Hale offered some thoughts on the evening.

Chuck Horton will return to the commission while Mike Hunter will serve on the school board

The newest member of the Oconee County Commission, John Daniell, had kind words for supporters and his opponent, incumbent Don Norris.

“Lots of good people did a lot of hard work,” Daniell said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Norris. I know it’s no fun to lose an election.”

Daniell indicated that there may have been several issues that led to his victory.

“I think it was a combination of issues, mainly the process and the way some decisions were made. Beer and wine was a piece of that pie and Hard Labor Creek. I think those got enough people upset.”

Incumbent Chuck Horton fended off challenger Mike Maxey in the race for Commission Post 4.

“I’m humbled to be honest with you, and I’ll be honored to continue to serve,” said Horton. “I thought it would be closer, but the people came out to support me.”

Horton’s take on the outcome was similar to Daniell’s.

“For a lot of people I talk to, growth plays a big role as well as transparency in government and ethical issues,” Horton said.

Kim Argo and Mike Hunter, two of the victorious Board of Education candidates, were also at the courthouse for much of the evening.

“I want to thank the voters for their support,” Argo said. “I hope my experience as an educator will help me make wise decisions with the taxpayers’ money and to do what is best for the students in Oconee County.”

“I’m excited about the opportunity to serve the county on the school board,” stated Hunter. “I’m humbled by the confidence placed in me by the voters and look forward to being responsible and accountable to the citizens.”

With Bill Mayberry eliminated but neither of the other two candidates for Coroner receiving a majority of the vote, Ed Carson and Cathleen Quillian-Carr will face off again in August.

“One thing I’ll say is that you really can tell a lot about a person’s character during an election,” said Carson. “I felt it would probably go to a runoff, so it will be interesting to see where Mayberry’s supporters go. I hope we have a good turnout.”

“I’m looking forward to continuing to run a clean campaign,” said Quillian-Carr. “I hope the people of Oconee County want a person that is ready to serve, dedicated, highly educated, trained and ready to do the job. I also want to say thanks to the voters that voted in the primary.”

Mike Sprayberry is a reporter for The Oconee Leader. He can be reached at 706-310-1104 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

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