Two new commissioners win primary, BoE member retains
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Dillon Adams, left, and Matthew Reams celebrate their primary election wins for County Commission districts 5 and 4, respectively. Photo submitted
Matthew Reams and wife, Dani, celebrate his win in Tuesday’s primary election for County Commission District 4. Photo submitted
Dillon Adams and family celebrate his win in the primary election for County Commission District 5. Photo submitted
By Christa Jennings
Tuesday’s primary election included three local county races, with unofficial results reflecting two new county commissioners to move on to the general election and a Board of Education member retaining her seat as she also heads to the general election.
The primary election saw a low voter turnout across the county of just 29.10%. This was just slightly better than the state turnout, which was 23.12%.
This reflects a decrease since the last similar primary election held in 2022, when the county had a voter turnout of 33.92%, compared to the state’s turnout of just 23.35%.
For Tuesday Coosa County had 2,371 ballots cast. Of those, 1,548 were Republican ballots, 822 were Democratic Party ballots, and one was a nonpartisan ballot, meaning the individual opted to vote on just the proposed statewide amendments and not any of the party races.
Cottage Grove had the highest turnout with 37.21%, followed by Equality and Hanover tying for second with 33.84% voter turnout each. Mt. Olive saw the lowest voter turnout with 22.16%.
There were 27 absentee ballots cast for this election, with all of those being Republican Party ballots.
The only local races on Tuesday’s ballots were for three district-specific county seats that had more than one candidate running, with those candidates all running on the Republican Party ticket. Those offices were County Commission districts 4 and 5 and Board of Education District 4.
For County Commission District 4, Matthew Reams won the primary with 373 votes, or 74.30%. Candidate Johnnie Schmidt received 129 votes, or 25.69%.
The District 4 seat was vacated with the passing of former Commissioner Ronnie Joiner.
Following Tuesday’s election results, Reams stated, “I am humbled by the tremendous support that I received in this election. I pray for God’s guidance as I begin to serve this amazing county. I am ready to get to work.”
The County Commission District 5 race saw a turnover, with Dillon Adams receiving 339 votes, or 63.01%, to incumbent Lamar Daugherty’s 199 votes, or 36.98%.
Daugherty currently serves as chair of the County Commission and will remain on the Commission through November, when elected commissioners will take office for a 4-year term.
Following the primary results, Adams said, “I am deeply humbled and honored by the support I received from the voters of District 5 this week. The faith placed in me by the outpouring of support from our family, friends and the constituents of our community means more than I can explain. This last year, so many have stood by us, encouraged us and prayed for us. We know that without your support, this win would not have been possible.”
Adams added, “This campaign has always been about integrity and transparency. I would like everyone to know that when I take office in November, I recognize there is a significant opportunity for growth and, with that, a steep learning curve. I am so thankful for this opportunity and privilege and am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and working with our other commissioners to move District 5 and our county forward.”
The Board of Education District 4 saw the closest local race, with incumbent Sharon Coffman winning the primary with just 29 more votes than challenger Kimberly D. Crowe.
Coffman received 244 votes, or 53.15%, to Crowe’s 215 votes, or 46.84%.
“I want to extend my deepest, most sincere gratitude to the voters of District 4 for choosing me as your representative on the Board of Education in our primary election,” Coffman said. “I am incredibly honored and humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in me.”
“Throughout this campaign, I have had the privilege of listening to your hopes, your ideas and your concerns for our schools,” she said. “Please know that I hear you, and I am fully committed to bringing those conversations with me to the Board.”
“My dedication to serving our students, our hardworking teachers and this entire community is my top priority. Together, we can ensure that our schools provide the high-quality education and supportive environment that every child in Coosa County deserves,” Coffman added. “Thank you for your support, your votes and your shared investment in the future of our youth. The real work begins now, and I am ready to serve you.”
The county’s provisional ballots have yet to be counted, but it is not anticipated that there will be enough eligible provisional votes to sway the outcome of those races.
Any eligible provisional ballots will be reviewed and counted Tuesday at noon, and those will be added to the county’s vote totals. At that time, the party chairs and Canvassing Board will certify the results, making Coosa County’s election results official.
Those who won local and state races in Tuesday’s primary election will go on to appear on the general election ballot in November, along with those who ran unopposed. The general election ballots will also reflect any independent candidates who qualified to run, as well as options for voters to write-in candidates in any of the races.
Some state offices are headed to the primary runoff election on June 16. Read more about the primary runoff in next week’s edition, as well as coverage of the county’s official election results.
As covered previously, four U.S. House of Representatives seats affected by redistricting had their votes counted Tuesday, but those will not be certified at this time. Alabama voters in districts 1, 2, 6, and 7 are currently expected to return to the polls for a special election in August to vote on those U.S. House seats.
Coosa County was one of the counties affected by this redistricting as it is part of District 6.
While those votes are not being certified, in Tuesday’s primary Coosa County voters favored incumbent Rep. Gary Palmer over challenger Case Dixon. Palmer received 1,134 votes to Dixon’s 292.
