Speculation has been circulating in Columbia County for months as to who is going to run in several key upcoming elections. Three races already have strong candidates confirmed as running.
In Richmond County, there will be some news coming out this week. While I can’t disclose what I know just yet, but current Sheriff Richard Roundtree will have a challenger.
District 131 House Rep. Jodi Lott announced on July 7 that she was not going to be running for re-election. Lott has been a great House Rep for Columbia County and even progressed to being a floor leader for Gov. Brian Kemp.
The void Lott will leave is likely to be filled by Top Shelf Cigar Shop owner Russell Wilder.
Wilder registered to run on August 29 and currently serves on the Columbia County Planning Commission.
Wilder came in fourth place out of five candidates running for Columbia County Commission’s District 3 seat. Wilder also ran for Columbia County Republican party chair unsuccessfully early this year.
Gary Richardson, owner of Sparkle Car Wash ended up winning the District 3 seat and subsequent election. That seat is coming open in 2024.
Michael Carraway is running for the District 3 seat being vacated by Richardson and will likely be the winner. Carraway CEO of ACHS insurance and is the husband former Columbia County School Superintendent Sandra Carraway.
The Carraway’s are beloved in Columbia County.
Phil Kent Jr. is running for Columbia County School Board District 1 to replace David Alalof who is not running for re-election.
Kent is the son of former Augusta Chronicle editorial page editor and current CEO of Insider Advantage News Agency, Phil Kent Sr.
My column is certainly not an endorsement of any of these candidates. It is still very early in election process however on the surface these three candidates appear to be stellar.
When is probation appropriate?
Two sentences were issued this past week both resulted in probation despite very different crimes being committed.
Judge James G. Blanchard, Jr. gave Robert Joseph Hall five years probation after he plead guilty to “upskiritng” a woman at the Evans Target department store last year. Hall’s phone had evidence that he had committed the crime against multiple others, but their faces weren’t visible given the angle of his photos.
Chief Magistrate Judge Jason Troiano sentenced Gurisman Walia to a combined 18 months of probation and a $6,000 fine for operating his $1.5 million mansion as a special events venue and operating without a business license.
After reading both reports, I went back and did some homework on the history and purpose of probation. I asked Scott Hudson to put on his agenda to write a “Something You Might Not Have Known” on it soon. So I won’t take his thunder explaining it all here.
Despite the two crimes, it seems ludicrous that both would warrant probation. I’m certainly not trying to criticize either judge, and I wasn’t present for the trials and presentation of evidence. Still, my knee-jerk reaction is that the results were not balanced.
For Walia, it was a pretty open and shut case. He is a savvy real estate investor and signed a deed that specified his rights. He proceeded to infringe on the rights of others around him, who also signed a deed subject to covenants and restrictions of the neighborhood. A fine and probation seem appropriate here.
I suspect Walia will comply with the courts and cease and desist his behavior. Jail time would have been overkill, and a larger fine would have not been appropriate. In Walia’s case, the system worked.
For the upskirting incident probation hardly seems appropriate. The law states that in Georgia, a person convicted of the crime is guilty of a felony and faces imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than five years, a fine of not more than $10,000, or both, in the discretion of the court.
Given the fact that Hall had committed the crime multiple times on victims that were likely unaware adds to the creepiness and disgust factor of the case. I’m not saying he should spend the rest of his life in prison, but at the very least, he should have been given one year and the maximum fine.
The weak sentence to me sends the wrong message to sex offenders especially those who think their crimes are victimless as long as they get away without the victim knowing. Stricter punishments reduce crime and protect innocents.
Capital punishment is no exception. Years ago, I wrote an article I might try and find titled, “The Death Penalty is Pro-Life.” Generally, it was not well received in the forum where I shared it despite having solid points. Perhaps it was my writing style they didn’t like.
Meanwhile The Augusta Press has added several new columnists to the rotation. We hope you will enjoy the variety, and please provide us feedback on what types of content you enjoy or dislike.
