Charles Oliver
charlesoliver@daltoncitizen.com
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Rodney Lock will meet Jessica Swinford in the Aug. 10 Republican Party runoff for Whitfield County Board of Education District 2.
Swinford and Lock finished first and second in a three-way GOP primary last Tuesday. Swinford took first place with 1,725 votes, while Lock had 1,717 votes. Third-place finisher Bill Moore had 1,700 votes. No Democrat qualified for the seat.
With the votes so close, Moore asked for a recount, which was held Monday afternoon. Whitfield County Registrar Kay Staten said the totals for each candidate remained unchanged after the recount was completed.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed. But I wish the other two candidates well,” said Moore, a retired teacher from Pleasant Grove Elementary. “It’s going to be a hard fought race to the end, and I wish them both well.”
Swinford, a former member of the school council at Varnell Elementary, said she is looking forward to the runoff campaign.
“I’m just excited to be in this position and excited to move forward,” she said.
Swinford said the closeness of the election shows the importance of voting, something she’ll be reminding her supporters of over the next few weeks.
“You can’t comment on what’s happening if you are not involved in the process. The voters need to come out to make their voices heard,” she said.
Lock, the owner of Lock’s Dozing Inc., did not immediately return a telephone message Monday afternoon.
