G35 Dude makes such a good point, I wanted to post it again.

Face it. 91% of the registered was so afraid that we'd get a black person elected that we didn't even bother to vote.

Yes. There were 4 black candidates and 1 white, so the frightened county full of bigots raced to the polls to beat back the black menace.

Except they didn't, of course. Anyone who wants to believe this was about race is voluntarily adopting a fantasy. Maybe it soothes the pain of the loss.

This special election was like most. Two kinds of people voted - the intensely interested and people who feel a duty to vote in every election.

You'd have to insist on ignoring the very real reasons for trying to change the balance of power on the county commission to tell yourself those intensely interested are trying to keep the black people out. Even if it were so, you'd have 2700 of those folks out of a population of over 108,000 - or around 2%. Try getting a ratio like that elsewhere.

Let those who will, continue to moan and wail and shake their fists, but don't let them drag you into their ugly race baiting. This county doesn't deserve it.

Let Mr. Wilkerson and his supporters continue to embrace the idea that it's all about skin color; that because of 2700 white racists in this county, there was nothing he ever could have done. (As for those 2700 - let Greg Dunn continue to flex his muscles and pound his chest at the citizenry and other government agencies until July. Maybe by then we will have enough intensely interested voters to vote his white self out of there.)

And as long as I'm here and posting anyway, I have to agree with H. Hamster when he said:

You have to focus on race. Stating that Horgan is the "only white candidate in the race" twice in the same article is racist at worst, bad writing at best.

I'm disappointed to see the newspaper jump onto this particular bandwagon. Such guilt-tripping will get very old, very fast. It will engender a lack of credibility that will creep into the other articles here and once it's there, it'll be very difficult to undo.

Emory had my vote nearly to the end. The are two reasons I switched to Horgan. The first was because of the shameful behavior and antics of Marilane Watts and their trial lawyer lacky Hobbs. Their behavior in this race was embarassing to watch and just plain nasty. I clearly understand why people fought so hard to rid them from the party fifteen or so years ago. If Wilkerson were a class act he would have distanced himself from such behavior.

The second reason is that he was the candidate of choice by most of the politicians and trial lawyers spouting off the same old tired Republican cliches. Your know the ones...Lower Taxes, Family Friendly, and Responsible Government. Yup, the same old promises that are never backed by any substance not adhered to after they get into office. They run as a Conservative but govern like a Democrat. I think you would call that being a RINO. The very thing Horgan was accused of.

Now looking back I did make the right choice voting for Horgan. He may very well prove to be another RINO without any substance and full of compromise. If he turns out to be a RINO then he will fit in perfectly with the rest of our local, state and federal Republican leaders. So we neither gain nor lose. It won't matter.

Emory, your race baiting comments were offensive and showed your true liberal colors. I was a die-hard supporter of Herman Cain and would jump in to back him again if he would run again. Same with a JC Watts. The reality is that the same white people in Fayette County you are slamming would vote for a black person in a heart beat if that person truly stood for the Conservative principles that made this county and country great in the first place. Maybe David Simmons will run again. I didn't hear that kind of garbage from him when he lost to a long time incumbent.

Next time run a better campaign and quit blaming white people for your loss.

Please forgive me if I'm asking questions that have already been answered. I've been preoccupied with major changes at work and I've lost touch with much of what's been going on in the community the past few weeks.

I have to admit, I am one of the lame people who didn't vote this time around. There’s no acceptable excuse, I just had other things on my mind and I forgot about it, so I can’t complain about how disappointed I am that Mr. Transmission Man actually won.

But I was surprised to hear it is over. Does anyone know why we didn't have a primary? I was expecting the candidates to get narrowed down to one representative per party.

I also heard that a lawyer who sued the County was running as an independant candidate. What happened to him?

Leoah

Way to go Mr. Horgan!! It's too bad that the other candidates believe that good marketing skills won you the race. I say, "whatever it takes". Being a good business man is most definitely a plus. I know you have been in Fayette County your entire life and have the best interest of the County and the people in mind. GOOD LUCK & CONGRATULATIONS.

I voted for Mr Wilkerson who I thought was the most qualified candidate but what I feared occured..Mr Horgan had signs posted everywhere...and I mean everywhere...If Mr Wilkerson had campaigned well, I would have had one of his signs in my yard in Brooks. Unfortunately, alot of folks vote for the name in there neighbor's yard and don't educate themselves. I didn't care that Emory was black...what was important to me is that he was a conservative Republican and shared my beliefs. If he made comments that were considered "racist" after the election I hope they were taken out of context because I have a lot of respect for him. I think that if he had spent time shaking hands down here in the south part of Fayette he may have made it a real contest...I would have been glad to have a sign for him in my yard...but I was not approached...Horgan made the effort on the south side and I give him credit, his signs were everywhere..Mr Wilkerson should have spend more time out here and we may have seen a different election. Horgan's supporters were spread out all over the south side of the county...but Mr Wilkersons signs were spread among the Fayetteville and North Fayette Candidates(can't see the forest through the trees)..It is about getting the message out and knocking on doors...If you don't make the effort out in the country what do you expect. I am hoping that Mr Wilkerson clarifies the comments that may be taken out of context because I have voted for him before and would hate to see that my trust was given to the wrong candidate.

The reason that Wilkerson lost is because he aligned himself with DUNN! Janet Dunn's "Letter to the Editor" squashed any hopes of him winning! I was going to propose that Emory run for Linda Wells' seat this July, but I changed my mind when he blamed his loss on race! You can call it what you want to because racism is everywhere, but his loss was was based on something else...

You have to focus on race. Stating that Horgan is the "only white candidate in the race" twice in the same article is racist at worst, bad writing at best.

The real story here is the less than 9% turnout. Unbelievable! There are more people writing pithy comments on this site than voters. Over 91% don't care? This means that even I could get elected. What should I run for - Sheriff? Judge? Newspaper editor?

If you must dwell on race, do an analysis of the turnout in each precinct and put a spotlight on the turnout in the "white precincts" vs. the "black precincts" Then comment on that!

Mr. Wilkerson was quoted in the AJC as saying he lost the election because he is black. What a suprise! That seems to be the catch all when someone who is black loses or doesn't get their way. Can he not wrap his mind around the fact, the voters (although very few of them) just preferred Mr. Horgan? Mr. Wilkerson only showed just how racist he is to assume everyone else was racist because they didn't vote for him. I don't know why people are trying to change Fayette County into something it is not. This is a free country-if you don't like the way something is, go somewhere else. But leave us alone to keep our county the way it has been for a long time. Just because we as a majority don't want to change it, doesn't make us racist or wrong....I just wish all of the racist people who cry everytime they don't get their way would move because Fayette County doesn't need the drama!

Almost everything that happens here according to the Citizen is race related. Face it. 91% of the registered was so afraid that we'd get a black person elected that we didn't even bother to vote. Mr Wilkerson was such a great candidate that he couldn't get 3% of the registered voters to vote for him. Mr Horgan wins with 4% ? With a turnout this low the winner is decided by a roll of the dice. This is an apathy issue not a racial one. But we have to stir the pot huh ?

This whole race card deal is sickening. It's the kind of comment you can expect from a candidate who has no ideas of his own. He may tell us that Horgan has no experience; he may tell us that Horgan isn't in tune with the rest of the population. But when he says that Horgan won because he was white....it only proves why Wilkerson himself wasn't elected. God don't like ugly, and neither do Fayette residents.

For the past year my wife and I have been living in Columbus, GA. Down here pulling the race card is a sport on its own. I expect to hear racist comments in Columbus, but to hear it in the city in which I grew up is saddening. I hope this empty-headed, uneducated mindset is not given a chance to survive in Fayette, because I do intend to come back. But I will stay FAR away if my fellow Fayette citizens elect hateful people such as Wilkerson.

And to Mr. Wilkerson, if you like painting my county as wholly racist, then congratulations…you have yourself a challenger. When I make my return to Fayette, I will GLADLY run against you in any election of your choosing, and I will further enjoy beating you in a landslide election. Anyone who attacks the population as openly as you do will have a very hard time winning anything…..especially respect.

John Regan
Less than 24 hours after the polls closed, the cry of "discrimination" rings loudly. Get serious voters. This is not Atlanta where that cry gets attention. This is Fayette County where we know that "discrimination" will not be effective. First, the blacks shot themselves in the foot by fielding four candidates to one white. Sheer numbers diluted your votes to the point of totally ineffective. At the very best, the result could have been a run off. Rep. Fludd has created ill feelings by attempting to change to district voting. This would likely insure a black on the commission. Anything that would give any group an advantage is gerrymandering. I believe this is against the law. Finally, the NAACP Fayette County office should be closed immediately and a new office called NAAAP, or the National Association for the Advancement of All People opened. The NAACP is a racist organization that won't fly in Fayette County. You simply can not force your way to the top. Yes, the day will come when a black is a commission member. For the present time, we need to concentrate on getting rid of the remaining four commissioners. All of them are real losers and three are known to have violated the open meeting law. This county needs some tough ethics laws and tough enforcement to stop this. Chairman Dunn is too busy fighting with Sheriff Johnson to be effective. Dunn does not realize that this county is not the army. He also attempts to bull his way through, and it simply will not work.
For now, I am content to give Horgan a chance to show us what he can do, but remember, he is the low man on the totem pole and the others can out vote him. It is time for a major change of commission members. Only then will needed changes take place.

county

Unfortunately for those who think this is some sort of statement about anything to do with the current board, the sheriff, whether Horgan knows what he is doing or doesn't, the Republican Party or any other issue, they're wrong.

Only 8.36% of those registered to vote felt it necessary to vote in this election. That means that just slightly over 4% of that total voted for Mr. Horgan.

It also means that for those who voted for Mr. Horgan simply because he was the only white face in the group - and I understand a very large contingency of the few voters came out for just that reason - they have just been part of what they were trying to stop.

The behind the scenes story on this election is that now Virgil Fludd and his ilk, who have been saying that a black could not get elected, now have ammunition.

An unknown white man just beat a well-known and qualified black man. There were four black candidates, all qualified, intelligent people. It wouldn't surprise me to find that three of the candidates were recruited by those wanting to push for district voting. It was barely stopped by Dan Lakly and Greg Dunn who both spent an inordinate amount of time in Atlanta and elsewhere rallying our elected officials and locals.

Our so-called "representative" from Clayton County has already said she's filing a law-suit saying Fayette County is breaking the voters' right act. They want district voting. They want a Democrat in office.

I believe, rightly or wrongly (and I'm sure there are people on both sides of this issue who feel strongly), that those who voted for Mr. Horgan simply because they were concerned about voting for someone of a different race will ultimately be responsible for causing just what they feared. Except the face that looks differently will not vote the same way they would.

Anyone who thinks this is a mandate for or against anyone is being silly. Only a handfull of people cared enough to vote. When people feel strongly that something is BAD, they come out in droves. The people came out in dribs and drabs.

I know many people voted for Mr. Horgan because they know him, some did vote for him because they support the sheriff or don't like the current county commission. I'm not saying that the only people who voted for him did so because he was white. Unfortunately, there are many who did.

I hope Mr. Horgan does a good job. I expect him to work hard and study the issues. I wish him well. But he, nor Sam Chapman, shouldn't be strutting their stuff. They should look at the numbers.

Mr. Horgan,

Congratulations on winning a seat on the Fayette County Commission. Can we expect you to overhaul the transmission we call the Fayette County government because it has been slipping lately? We North Fayette Citizens look forward to working with you during your term. God luck to you!

John E. Jones

I just wanted to thank Janet for her VERY PUBLIC support of Wilkerson! Too bad for Emory, someone should've warned him!

Hey, TN (thenatural)... what do you have to say now???

Wow. It would appear to a normal person who does not belong to your so called Republican Party, you three do not have the power you thought. Perhaps in the future you will not pull your tricks. Watch out King Dunn and and Princess Wells. This was a clear message.

Cal! The years long battle between the sheriff and the three amigos will be over in a few months. Can you say CHANGE?

I hope the Fayette County Republican Party leadership plans to apologize to Commissioner Horgan, the most newly elected Reublican in the county, for their behavior during this election. As you see, you do not hold as much power as you thought. WAY TO GO ROBERT!!

Thank you so much for keeping us updated on the election results. I was afraid we'd have to wait until tomorrow.