Former Liberty County Tag Office Clerk James “Jamie” Sharp edged out former Chief Financial Officer Kim McGlothlin to succeed the late Virgil Jones as tax commissioner.
With all 12 precincts reporting, Sharp won 51.1% of the vote, or 2,576 votes to McGlothlin’s 48.9% or 51.1%
Sharp served for two decades under the late Tax Commissioner Virgil M. Jones. An Open Records request by The Current revealed that, despite 19 separate reprimands for drawer overages and shortages and for failing to file proof of lien ownership papers with the Georgia Department of Revenue over that time period, Sharp was never fired. Sharp’s file also showed several letters he had written, some by hand, to supervisors about run-ins he’d had with female coworkers. Sharp also apologized to a supervisor for having written himself a military exemption to which he was not entitled. Sharp listed Hinesville Mayor Pro Tem Vickie Nelson as his campaign committee on campaign finance paperwork. Sharp did not respond to repeated requests for basic background information from The Current and has not disputed the contents of his personnel file.
McGlothlin holds a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Florida and has served as an adjunct professor of accounting for Central Texas College, which offers classes at Fort Stewart. She previously served as Liberty County’s chief financial officer and has two decades of experience in balancing budgets, working with related offices (tax commissioner, tax assessor, sanitation), cross-training staff, and streamlining operations. She has said that she would institute similar cross-training for employees at the assessor’s office. An Open Records request from The Current for McGlothlin’s personnel file showed consistently high reviews throughout her time at the Finance Department, as well as multiple executive-level training certifications.
All results are unofficial until certified by the Georgia Secretary of State.
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