Four more candidates qualify

By Angie Thompson/senior reporter

TIFTON May 02, 2008 09:55 pm

— Four more Tift County citizens threw their hats in the ring and qualified to run for offices up for grabs in this fall’s General Election. The qualifying period ended at noon Friday.
Richard Golden, former Tift County Board of Education chairman, qualified as a Democrat and will face Republican Shawn Utley for the BOE’s District 7 at-large seat. Two Democrats will face each other on the ballot for the District 2 seat on the Tift County Board of Commissioners. Melissa Chevers and incumbent commissioner Frankie Mathis both qualified before the deadline. Also, Jo Ann Spicer qualified as a Republican and will face Gene Goode, the Democratic incumbent.
According to the Secretary of State’s Web site, the qualifying period for nonpartisan, independent and political body candidates for the Nov. 4 General Election will begin at 9 a.m. June 23 and end at noon on June 27.
The following candidates and the posts they hope to win in the General Election are as follows:

• Tift County Judge of Probate Court
Suzanne Carter Johnson (Rep. - incumbent)
Ella Pettiford (Dem.)
D. Brian Walker (Rep.)
• Tift County Magistrate Court Judge
Doug Jones (Rep. - incumbent)
Clay Yelverton (Rep.)
• Tift County Commission, District 7 (Chair)
Daughtry Melton (Dem.)
Grady Thompson (Rep. - incumbent)
• Tift County Commission, District 2
Melissa Chevers (Dem.)
Frankie Mathis (Dem. - incumbent)
• Tift County Commission, District 5
Fred W. “Buck” Rigdon Jr. (Rep. - incumbent)
• Tift County Tax Commissioner
Gene Goode (Dem. - incumbent)
Jo Ann Spicer (Rep.)
• Tift County Sheriff
Raleigh Coarsey (Rep.)
Gary Vowell (Rep. - incumbent)
• Tift County Board of Education, District 7 (at-large post)
Richard Golden (Dem.)
Shawn Utley (Rep.)
• Tift County Board of Education, District 1
Betty Parson (Dem. - incumbent)
• Tift County Board of Education, District 3
Liz Carson Keith (Rep.)
Kim Rutland (Rep.)
• Clerk of Superior Court
Gwen Pate (incumbent)
• Tift County Coroner
Steve Wood (Rep.)
• State House of Representatives District 153
Doug Hughes (Dem.)
Austin Scott (Rep. - incumbent)
John Tibbetts (Dem.)
• State Senate District 13
Joseph Carter (Rep. - incumbent)
• District Attorney - Tifton Circuit
Paul Bowden (Dem. - incumbent)