– Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 –
Good morning. With around two weeks before the election and early voting underway, political fervor and mudslinging are sure to ratchet up. We look to examples of that in the Chatham County district attorney election and sheriff races in Chatham and Liberty Counties.
Plus, we report on pay equity for part-time Glynn County judges who play a big role in the courts system.
Questions, comments or story ideas? Reach out to us at staff@thecurrentga.org.
NEWS: ELECTIONS
District attorney files necessary disclosures
In an update to last week’s story, Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones has filed her campaign donation report five days after a state deadline and after a local lawyer filed an ethics complaint against her.
The development is the latest round of an increasingly acrimonious campaign that pits Cook Jones, a Democrat, against Republican challenger Andre Pretorius for the position of Chatham County’s top prosecutor.
Both candidates in the county’s most-watched race voted early on Wednesday.
NEWS: COURTS
Glynn part-time judges seek raise
Glynn County’s part-time judges want county leaders to give them a raise, given their excessive workloads.
Steve Morgan, Chief Magistrate Judge for Glynn County, asked county commissioners for a pay bump for the three part-time magistrate judges he oversees.
These judges play an important role in the criminal justice hierarchy. They sign off on police arrest and search warrants, after determining there is probable cause a crime occurred. The judges serve as an early check-and-balance in a police investigation to ensure officers have valid evidence when applying to search someone’s home or bring a person to jail. The judges are on-call to sign those warrants at all hours of the day, in addition to juggling their other jobs.
“The judge in the courtroom making important decisions that affect people’s lives should not be the lowest paid person in the room, so I’m asking for an increase,” Morgan told Glynn County commissioners.
ANALYSIS: ELECTIONS
Two coastal sheriffs seek re-election, face strong challenges
In Chatham County, incumbent Republican Sheriff John Wilcher is seeking a third and final term. Wilcher is 80-years-old and using a wheelchair, one of the effects of a June cardiac arrest. But he told The Current he is “ready to go” and wants to continue his steady leadership of the state’s fifth largest jail.
His Democratic opponent, Richard Coleman, said it is time for fresh blood in the sheriff’s office. That includes new ideas, like fixing the persistent understaffing problem and reestablishing in-person visitation to detainees.
In Liberty County, incumbent Democratic Sheriff William Bowman is facing a reelection challenge by a Republican former deputy, Gary Eason.
Bowman, a former drill sergeant and state trooper, has faced controversy during his first term, including the controversial traffic stop of women athletes from Delaware State University and his use of school zone traffic camera proceeds. Eason called out Bowman’s use of taxpayer dollars.
Bowman, the county’s first Black sheriff, says he still has more work to do in leading Liberty County law enforcement: “You cannot change people’s minds in three years.”
Chatham district attorney discloses campaign donations after deadline, ethics complaint
Shalena Cook Jones filed reports of campaign funding after missing deadline and ethics complaint by a local lawyer. It’s the latest round of partisan attacks in the county’s most-watched local election for Chatham County top prosecutor.
As sheriff’s race looms, Liberty County voters see other issues
Sheriff’s candidates square off in Liberty County as residents see other issues as more important than public safety.
Chatham sheriff race pits age, experience against bid for new leadership
Incumbent Republican John Wilcher, Democratic challenger Richard Coleman divide on principles of visitation, strategies for Chatham County Sheriff election to run county jail.
Glynn County magistrate court asks for pay bump, commission holds off on vote
Commissioners were asked to boost salaries for the three judges who issue criminal arrest warrants and hear civil suits to match increases approved earlier in the summer for counterparts who preside over juvenile and probate court.
Jimmy Carter, at age 100, casts his 2024 ballot by mail
PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Jimmy Carter cast his ballot in the 2024 election Wednesday. The former president voted by mail, the Carter Center confirmed in a statement. It happened barely two weeks after Carter celebrated his 100th birthday on Oct. 1 at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he’s been living in hospice care. His […]
Sapelo zoning vote heads to Georgia Supreme Court
After a defeat in court, Hogg Hummock zoning referendum is appealed.
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