With the close of candidate qualifying Wednesday for Augusta Commission District 4 and the Hephzibah city council, six candidates for the Richmond County contests have signed up.
According to Richmond County Board of Elections, two qualified to run in the Nov. 4 special election to replace resigned Commissioner Alvin Mason representing District 4 on the Augusta Commission.
They include retired Army sergeant and city retiree Lonnie Wimberly, who was named to the Augusta Charter Review Committee in February.
Wimberly is current president of the Richmond County Neighborhood Association Alliance, an organization of mostly south Richmond County neighborhood associations.
Also qualifying is incumbent interim Commissioner Tanya Barnhill-Turnley, who also served on the charter committee.
The commission named Barnhill-Turnley, a consultant and Mason’s longtime campaign manager, as interim commissioner in July at Mason’s recommendation.
Qualifying for Blythe mayor and two at-large council seats continues till 4 p.m. Friday. So far, only one candidate has signed up to govern in the small city.
He is former Blythe City Council member Edward LaJoie, who qualified Wednesday to run for mayor.
LaJoie ran unsuccessfully against Mayor Tom Cobb in 2023, not long after LaJoie and former mayor Curt St. Germaine resigned their posts amid a dispute involving the city attorney.
With the end of qualifying Wednesday for three seats on the Hephzibah commission, only incumbents signed up.
They were Robert Buchwitz, long the commission’s pick for chairman, Jody Boulineau and Lewis Venus McFalls.
