Sheriff Richard Roundtree appears headed for a runoff with challenger Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley after the incumbent just missed getting a majority of votes on Tuesday night.
Roundtree took 49.12% of the vote in the Democratic primary, while Brantley bested retired federal air marshal Bo Johnson for second place and a spot in the runoff with 27.82%. Johnson was defeated with a third place finish and 23%.
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A runoff date of June 18 would pit Sheriff Roundtree against Brantley, a sergeant with the Richmond County Marshal’s Office. Provisional ballots will be decided upon within 72 hours, and any significant number for Roundtree could put him over 50 percent and allow him to avoid the runoff.
Sheriff Roundtree could not be reached for comment Tuesday and did not respond to emails and text messages all week.
Both of his challengers were surrounded by supporters at gatherings in the area. Brantley was at the Hyatt House in downtown Augusta. Johnson watched results with supporters at the Augusta Shrine Club on Phinizy Road.
“We ran a good, hard, long race, and it paid off,” Brantley said just before the final results came in. “We are going to start focusing on the safety of our city, the gun violence and addressing the problem with our youth and the killings.”
Asked about the first thing he would do if elected, Brantley said he would get with the staff and meet each one individually to announce a change in culture.
“Just let them know it’s a ‘we thing,’ not a ‘me thing.’ It’s going to take all of us to get this department back to where people will be proud of the sheriff’s office and want to come back to Augusta,” Brantley said.
Clifton Hart, a Brantley supporter, said that “Gino” is the change that Augusta needs. Brantley wants to be engaging in the community and thinks the city can be great again, he said.
“He was a youth director in Estill, S.C.,” Hart said. “Kids are always flocking to him, and right now with the youth violence going on, we need somebody who can not only engage with the adults but also captivate the attention of the young people and get them involved in having a safer city.”
For his part, Johnson said he wanted his supporters to know that it meant a lot to receive their vote.
“I want people to know that, without a shadow of a doubt, they did not waste their vote when they voted with me,” he said.
Dwayne Flowers said he supported Johnson because he was a people person with common sense. He said Johnson would have surrounded himself with a great team and make needed improvements.
“He’s been working hard. I don’t think anyone has outworked him,” Flowers said.
During the campaign, the incumbent sheriff had questioned the qualifications of Johnson and Brantley, saying neither of them had supervised even five people and that they were not prepared to run a sheriff’s office with hundreds of employees, he said.
In campaign videos, Sheriff Roundtree emphasized safer streets and a crime rate that he says has dropped in every category. He also pointed out his agency’s push to increase technology, use of tasers and body-worn cameras, and holding corrupt officers account- able.
Tuesday’s vote suggests that a slight majority of residents are ready for change and did not want a fourth term for Sheriff Roundtree. He took barbs from two campaigns. Both challengers had questioned Sheriff Roundtree’s leadership and the problems plaguing the agency, including a jail crisis, personnel shortages and a lack of transparency and communication.
Johnson and Brantley mounted expensive campaigns with billboards, advertisements and other expenditures. That is compared to a lower-key race run by Sheriff Roundtree, who explained his decision Saturday on why he was not a big spender.
“Twelve years ago, my opponent had $250,000 and every sign in the world. We had $45,000,” he said. “So, signs don’t vote. … We are trying to put a product out there. We are trying to put our work out there. And I think we have done that over the last 12 years.”
Whoever wins the runoff could still face a November challenge from independent candidate Richard Dixon, who has been trying to gather enough signatures to get on the ballot.
Staff writer Liz Wright contributed to this report.
