Columbia County voters sent a quiet but unmistakable message on Tuesday. In the statewide Public Service Commission race, Democratic candidates Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson not only won statewide but, for the first time in recent memory, carried Columbia County, earning 51% of the vote. That’s a startling data point for a county that hasn’t leaned blue in decades.
Even the District 2 Special Election Commission race was tighter than usual. Republican Jim Steed held off Democrat Howard Johnson. Still, the margin was slimmer than expected (54-46, as opposed to the typical margin of 65-35). The results don’t signal a partisan revolution so much as a pulse check: voters are anxious. They’re watching closely, asking questions, and are no longer as trusting of their local government.
As Austin Rhodes noted on his Wednesday, Nov. 5, radio show, Kiokee Baptist, the voting precinct most directly affected by the proposed, controversial data-center park in Appling, still voted for the Republican PSC incumbents. He implied that this is indicative of a lack of real opposition to the data center. However, Austin Rhodes also used election results from the November 2024 coroner race for a countywide comparison, showing that countywide, the typical split is approximately 65% Republican and 35% Democrat. However, he didn’t actually compare the election results of the coroner race at Kiokee Baptist. Using the same analysis, focusing on the Kiokee Baptist precinct, the results in the 2024 coroner race were 86% Republican and 14% Democrat. The PSC Race showed a shift from about 86% to 67% Republican. That’s nearly a 20-point shift to a Democrat candidate.
The Republican incumbents may have still won that precinct, but nearly a 20-point shift is not something to take lightly. I won’t be so cocky as to think that Columbia County is completely shifting blue just based on these races. Still, it does show that voters are feeling frustrated and wanting a change, or at least when it comes to their power bill. There could be an opportunity for Democratic and/or Independent candidates in local races next year, though, if candidates are willing to put in the work and capitalize on the current tensions.
Contentious meetings
Tensions were visible in three major county meetings this week: the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night, the first meeting of the newly formed county library system on Thursday morning, and the Planning Commission that same evening. Each meeting focused on different issues, but all revolved around who holds power and whether the people affected by those decisions have any real say.
Tuesday night’s Board of Commissioners meeting set the tone for the week. Residents used public comment time to raise concerns about two issues dominating local discussion: the proposed data center project in Appling and continuing disputes over the county’s approach to library book placement. The conversation was heated at times, reflecting the same frustration and mistrust that would later echo through the library and planning meetings.
Library independence
Thursday’s 9:30 a.m. library board meeting marked the official debut of Columbia County’s stand-alone library system. The county’s decision to leave the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library System was publicly framed as a matter of local control, but the real story is more complex.
The split followed months of discussion about the county’s “age-based guidelines” for book placement and changes in how the regional system was governed. Earlier in 2025, the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library Board amended its governing documents to comply with state law, shifting supervision of the regional director (and subsequently, all library staff) from Columbia County’s Community Services director to the regional board itself. That change reduced the county’s direct oversight within the system. By May, commissioners voted to withdraw from the region, while the regional board was considering changes to the collection development policy recommended by an independently hired attorney. Whether coincidence or cause, the timing suggested that Columbia County preferred a structure where it would retain more apparent authority over library operations and staff.
At Thursday’s meeting, County Manager Scott Johnson praised the new board’s “independence” from county management. However, it’s hard to see how that independence will function when a sitting commissioner and the County’s Community Service director serve as board chair and vice-chair on the library board. While the current structure of the board is not illegal, it hardly conveys the appearance of an independent board.
More data-center debates
Later that Thursday evening, the Planning Commission meeting struck a different chord of frustration. The commission discussed a proposed zoning ordinance to regulate data centers, the kind of guardrails residents have demanded for months amid the controversy over the massive 2000-acre data center park planned for Appling.
Most of the dozen or so speakers diligently went through the proposed ordinance changes. Many were concerned that the 70-decibel noise allowance was too high, felt the minimum lot size requirement was too small, and advocated for larger buffer zones. However, at one point, when a speaker noted that the proposed ordinance wouldn’t apply retroactively to the existing project (only applicable to future zoning), and the Planning Commission affirmed that suspicion, tempers flared. Our local government appeared reactive, creating rules after the fact and leaving citizens with the impression, once again, that the real decisions had already been made behind closed doors and these meetings are for show.
The schools: transparency vs. optics
There’s also discontent with the school district. The district’s book-removal process has raised eyebrows: its school- and district-level media review committees meet behind closed doors, their membership lists are secret, and the district kept no official documentation of the committee meetings before May 2025. The public is never notified when books are challenged, restricted, or removed. That secrecy invites questions about transparency and potential First Amendment implications.
A local parent recently sent me the superintendent’s employment contracts from 2021 through 2025, obtained through an Open Records Request. His contract renews each July, typically discussed in an executive session and then voted on afterward — a common, though not especially transparent, practice in Georgia. His annual salary includes full health and dental benefits, plus a car allowance:
| Year | Salary | Annual Car Allowance |
| 2021 | $223,000 | $7,200 |
| 2022 | $243,000 | $7,200 |
| 2023 | $260,000 | $7,200 |
| 2024 | $285,010 | $12,000 |
| 2025 | $315,010 | $12,000 |
That’s a steady climb, with roughly a 10% increase this year alone. Also, what kind of car is this man driving? Maybe we should talk him into something cheaper. Perhaps one of those small, two-seater Smart cars or a hatchback. (Just kidding, Dr. Flynt)
Meanwhile, the district requested a 5% pay increase for staff due to inflationary pressures, which the board trimmed to 4%. Staff costs comprise a significant portion of the district budget, and even minor changes can have a substantial financial impact. And to be fair, Columbia County’s superintendent salary is in line with other Georgia districts:
| County | Superintendent Salary | Approximate Student Population |
| Oconee County | $290,591.34 | 8,535 |
| Atlanta Independent Schools | $305,983.74 | 50,000 |
| Columbia County | $309,956.02 | 28,800 |
| Fayette County | $318,259.00 | 19,812 |
| Richmond County | $334,345.19 | 30,000 |
| Forsyth County | $351,042.58 | 54,000 |
| Houston County | $371,717.89 | 30,000 |
| Gwinnett County | $475,191.42 | 182,000 |
| Cobb County | $516,851.18 | 106,000 |
| Cherokee County | $533,361.13 | 42,000 |
(Data obtained through the openga.gov website. This salary information for the Columbia County superintendent is different from above, as this was his salary for the 2024 calendar year, according to the website, while the contract reflects the Fiscal Year.)
I don’t begrudge Dr. Flynt his salary, but at the same time, leadership decisions that reward the top with 5-figure increases and not even keeping up with inflation for the rest of the organization, inevitably erode trust and hurt morale.
A pattern
Across these stories, the themes are about power and transparency. Who has power? How is it wielded, and how little does the public feel they have control over it? Decision-making appears to occur behind the scenes, only to be rubber-stamped at public meetings. Many residents of Columbia County are asking how they can be proactive and engaged citizens when decisions that affect their everyday lives are made in secret. When residents don’t feel heard or valued by leadership, they begin to look for different leadership.
Also, even if everything is above board, it’s human nature to get conspiratorial and assume the worst of motivations when it feels like decisions are made in the dark. Sunshine is often the best disinfectant for many of these problems. Columbia County’s voters haven’t staged a revolt yet. However, they issued a warning at the last election. They expect transparency and accountability to accompany the power their leaders wield. Will local leadership heed the warning? Time will tell.
Both the School Board and County Commission have their next meetings scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. The County Commission meetings are held at 6 p.m. at 630 Ronald Reagan Drive in the Auditorium of Building A. The School Board meetings are held at 4781 Hereford Farm Road at 5:30 pm. I’m not sure which meeting I’ll be at, but if I don’t see you on Nov. 18, I hope to see you at another meeting.
