Liberty County Commission Chair Donald Lovette easily won reelection to the county’s top seat, beating challenger Chassidy Oliviera 77.88% to 22.12%.
With all 12 precinct reporting, Lovette took 3,960 votes to Oliviera’s 1,125.
Lovette says the county needs his experience and his network to keep moving forward, citing his working relationships with Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and mayors in the county, as well as his time as a school board member and commissioner: “I just can’t imagine walking into this position without any of those experiences.” Lovette says the county’s most urgent need rights now are water supply and sewer upgrades. He also defended the millage rate increase, saying it was needed to cover rising insurance costs and the county’s takeover of EMS from the Hospital Authority. Lovette urges property owners to visit the Tax Assessor’s office and discuss possible exemptions to save on their tax bills.
Oliveira, a Liberty County honors graduate with a master’s in psychology, says she ran for office after her husband, T.J. Grace, was body-slammed during a traffic stop and the couple could not get anyone in local government to help them resolve the matter. She says it’s time for grassroots leadership and greater accountability for those who have been in power for years. She also says “regular citizens” can’t get appointed to boards because the powers that be “already know who they want to give it to, and we never really get the chance to use our voice to really help the community.” At a recent Democratic Party meeting, leadership there encouraged Oliviera and Grace to get involved and to invite more young citizens into the party.
All results are unofficial until certified by the Georgia Secretary of State.
