Richmond County voters were ready for a change Tuesday and replaced Sheriff Richard Roundtree with Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley, effective Jan. 1.
In uncertified results, Brantley ended Tuesday’s Democratic primary runoff with 10,087 votes, or 52.77%, to Roundtree’s 9,027 votes, or 47.23%.
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The pair had to face off after neither he, Roundtree or retired senior U.S. Air Marshal Bo Johnson won 50% of the vote May 21.
Johnson threw support behind Brantley, a former sheriff’s deputy now working for the Richmond County Marshal’s Office, after the primary.
“The community should consider themselves blessed,” Johnson said at a watch party, as results came in.
“He’s got an extremely good work ethic, the best I’ve seen in a long time, and a very caring heart. He definitely loves Richmond County and he loves the people of Richmond County. Once people get to know him better like I have, I think they’ll learn to love him kind of like I do.”
Johnson stood by his side Monday as Brantley unveiled plans for his first 100 days in office, which include efforts to address downtown crime.
Several downtown business owners said they backed Brantley for his stance against downtown street crime, and he won multiple downtown voting precincts.
Overall Roundtree won 29 precincts and Brantley won 38 in the countywide election.
Brantley outpolled Roundtree in every precinct but one in District 3, which is Summerville and west Augusta, and in District 7, the Washington Road corridor, while Roundtree got more votes in south Augusta and Hephzibah areas.
The mood was jubilant at the Hyatt downtown where supporters watched the results come in.
Brantley’s mother, Vicki Brantley Halls, said her son lost his father in 1992, but before then his father instilled virtue in their children.
“From a small child – we had four sons and one daughter – he said nothing comes to a sleeper but a dream,” she said. “He let his sons and his daughter know if you want something, you have to get up.”
Brantley did, she said, and needs to know his “mom, his siblings and the neighborhood are all behind him, all the way,” Halls said. “I know he will make a wonderful change for all the citizens.”
In a speech, Brantley thanked his wife, family, friends and campaign team, including campaign manager Jorge Diez.
“When I hired this man, I started to gain traction because they knew his reputation, they knew his leadership,” Brantley said of Diez.
Brantley said he’s looking forward to engaging with others regularly, including the public and sheriff’s personnel, rather than be an isolated figure.
“People want to feel like they are a part of what’s going on,” he said. “I look at how Mayor Garnett Johnson is out in the public and people love to be able to see you and talk to you and interact with you. That’s just been my personality so I just love that part of interaction,” he said.
Taking office in January, Brantley said he’ll begin efforts to improve morale in the sheriff’s office.
“The first thing I want to do is meet with all the guys, just sit down with them, and let them know what direction we’re going to be headed in, to kind of fix the culture and the morale at the sheriff’s office,” he said.
“We have a lot of great men and women who don that uniform and put their lives on the line and just want them to know that they are appreciated and they matter and we can do some great things,” Brantley said.
There is no Republican candidate to oppose Brantley in the November general election, but candidate Richard Dixon is attempting to gather enough signatures to get on the ballot as an Independent.
Lyons wins superior court judgeship
Augusta attorney Charles H.S. Lyons III won the nonpartisan runoff for the Augusta Circuit Superior Court judgeship held by Chief Judge Daniel J. Craig, who is retiring.
Lyons had 14,526, or 65.1%, of the vote to fellow Augusta attorney Matt Matson’s 7,786, or 34.9%, of votes in the two-county Augusta circuit.
Lyons won Burke County with 58.58% and Richmond County with 65.49% of the vote.
“I want to tell people thank you for your support, and I look forward to working hard as the next superior court judge,” Lyons said. “I will not let them down.”
Lyons said his initial plans are “making sure I know the process, concentrating on doing what I can to help with the (case) backlog and trying to educate the people as to how our superior court works.”
