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18 qualify for county, BoE seats
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The race is on.

Eighteen people have qualified to run in the Bryan County general primary election after the qualifying week ended Friday – with several candidates vying for the same seats.

Board of Education contenders include Charlie Johnson, Candace Piper and Charles Blakewood vying for the Board of Education District 3 seat. Piper did not provide any occupational information on her application form, but has lived in Richmond Hill for the past six years. Johnson currently works for the Department of Homeland Security with the United States Coast Guard in Savannah and is a retired military officer. He’s lived in Richmond Hill for about five years. Blakewood has been teaching English at Richmond Hill High School for 10 years and was a businessman for 25 years prior to that. He is originally from Effingham County.

District 3 incumbent Jeff Morton and Carrol Ann Coleman are running against each other for the vice chair slot. Coleman has previously served as the chairman of the board and is an adult education teacher. She has lived in District 3 for 22 years. Morton has lived in Bryan County for 16 years. He is the Senior Vice President at the Savannah Bank and is a construction lender.

Dennis Seger and Wanda Lane both qualified for the District 2 position. Lane is a cashier and treasurer of the North Bryan Chamber of Commerce. She has lived in her district for 20 years. Seger has been a resident for nearly 50 years and has been active in the school community for 13 years.

County Commission Chairman Jimmy Burnsed qualified to run another term and is running unopposed.

Incumbent Ed Bacon (R) and Joe Kendrick (D) are running for District 1. Bacon, who is retired military is a native of Bryan County, said a lot has been happening in Bryan County in recent years and he hopes to continue working for the country during another term. Kendrick is the owner of The Station and has lived in his district for more than 56 years.

Incumbent Glen Willard and Henry Luis Rey, Jr. are running for District 3. Willard is the president of Savannah Aviation and has several real estate holding companies in the area. He has been in Richmond Hill for nearly 20 years. Rey works as a registered nurse and is also involved with the Air National Guard. He has lived in his district for 12 years.

The county’s constitutional officers all qualified again for their respective positions. This includes Sheriff Clyde Smith, Davis, Clerk of Superior Court Rebecca Crowe, Tax Commissioner Debbie Newman and Coroner Bill Cox, who are all running unopposed. Davis said State Court Solicitor Ray Smith also qualified.

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