A relative newcomer to Bulloch County, David Bennett, is set to chair the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners beginning in January, and a defense attorney who has never prosecuted anybody, Robert Busbee, stands to replace the incumbent Ogeechee Circuit district attorney.

Among those with challengers, only Sheriff Noel Brown emerged unscathed as a wave of anti-incumbent sentiment rolled over Bulloch in the primary elections that concluded Tuesday. Voter turnout, meanwhile, was a slight 20.9% of Bulloch’s active, registered voters.

Bennett captured 5,105 votes, or 66.9%, to incumbent Roy Thompson’s 2,530 votes, in the Republican primary race for Board of Commissioners chairman. Thompson, a lifetime Bulloch County resident, business owner and recipient of awards for community service, is completing his eighth year as chairman after 12 years as a district commissioner. Bennett, originally from Jesup, first came to Bulloch County as a Georgia Southern student, but after a career in the Army Nurse Corps, made his home here after retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2020, and now  works as a civilian Air  Evac flight nurse.

“I’m just thrilled and I can’t wait to serve the people of Bulloch County. ..,” Bennett said when called about the vote count Tuesday night. “You know it’s been  a long, almost year now, just getting out and working and beating the pavement and sharing a vision for a better Bulloch County with people here, and I’m glad that they are excited and willing to put their trust in me to follow through with that.”

Thompson expressed a combination of disappointment and relief. He and his wife, Deborah, had been at the Elections and Registration Office earlier but had left before the call.

“I’m fine with it,” he said. “We had prayer before we went in, and have been praying that God’s will be done, and honestly, it’s sort of a relief. I’m not bitter with anyone. I don’t know how they’re going to do what they say they can do, but there again, it is what it is, I’ve had my crack at it, and I wish him well. … I still love Bulloch County and will continue to do whatever I can to make it a better place to live.”

Meanwhile in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit D.A. race, Robert Busbee, until now a defense attorney based in Statesboro, captured from 55% to 79% of the votes in each of the four counties of the circuit: Bulloch, Effingham, Jenkins and Screven, against incumbent District Attorney Daphne Jarriel Totten. In Bulloch, Busbee received 4,876 votes, or 64.2%, to Totten’s 2,725 votes.

But Bulloch County Sheriff Noel Brown will continue in office, starting a third four-year term in January, after received 5,618 votes, or 73%, to challenger Keith Howard’s 2,072 votes. This was Howard’s fourth time running  for sheriff.

Bennett won’t be the only new Bulloch County commissioner arriving on the board in January. Challenger Ray M. Davis captured Seat 2-A by receiving 4,224 votes, or 62.6 %, to incumbent Commissioner Curt Deal’s 2,522 votes in Commission District 2, which elects multiple commissioners and encompasses about two-thirds of the county’s population.

All of the races mentioned above, to this point in the story, have one thing in common: All of the candidates were Republicans, so these contests were decided exclusively by voters who chose the Republican ballot.

The race for Bulloch County Board of Commissioners Seat 2-C was a little different, since three candidates had qualified as Republicans and one as a Democrat. This race is also the only one now destined, in-part, for a June 18 primary runoff.

Republican challengers Nick Newkirk with 3,163 votes, or 47%, and Brian Pfund  with 866  votes, or 13%, and Republican incumbent Jappy Stringer, with 2,704 votes, or 40%, all  came up short of the  50%  plus one vote majority needed to win outright. So Stringer  and Newkirk, as the two top vote-getters, will now face off on the June 18 Republican primary runoff ballot.

But  the winner on June  18 still  will not have captured the seat for the 2025-2028 term, since Democratic challenger Len Fatica appeared  unopposed on the Democratic Party ballot Tuesday.  So either  Stringer or  Newkirk, after winning the Republican  runoff, will  face Fatica in the Nov. 5 general  election.

Another race for a Board  of  Commissioners seat, Seat 1-A, has  barely begun, since long-time incumbent Democrat Ray Mosley appeared uncontested on this  party’s  ballot  Tuesday, while challenger R. Ryan Brannen appeared alone  on the Republican District 1 ballot and is automatically the GOP nominee. Voters in Commission District 1, encompassing about one-third of the county, will decide this race in the Nov. 5 election.

The race for Bulloch County coroner isn’t over, either. In the Democratic primary, Craig R. Tremble had 1,028 votes, or 62.8%, to Matthew Lovett’s 609 votes. So Tremble is now the Democratic nominee but will vie with the lone Republican candidate, Chuck Francis, in the Nov. 5 election for coroner.

Bulloch County Board of Education seats are nonpartisan, so Tuesday was their general election. In BOE District 3, Jennifer Campbell Mock received 278 votes to Suzanne Hallman’s 139 votes, so Mock will succeed Dr. Stuart Tedders, who did not seek re-election, on the board in January.

BOE District 7 had the closest election of the night, with challenger Lisha Nevil getting 630 votes, or 50.3%, to incumbent board member Heather Mims’ 622 votes.

Here are results from key local races in Bulloch County with all precincts reporting final totals:

DISTRICT ATTORNEY - OGEECHEE JUDICIAL CIRCUIT - Republican

Robert Busbee

4,867

64.11%

Daphne Jarriel Totten (I)

2,725

35.89%

SHERIFF - Republican

Noel J. Brown (I)

5,618

73.06%

Keith L. Howard

2,072

26.94%

CORONER - Democrat

Matthew Lovett

609

37.20%

Craig R. Tremble

1,028

62.80%

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS CHAIRMAN - Republican

David Bennett

5,105

66.86%

Roy Gene Thompson (I)

2,530

33.14%

COUNTY COMMISSIONER - DISTRICT 2 - SEAT A - Republican

Ray M. ''Rayford'' Davis

4,224

62.61%

Curt Deal (I)

2,522

37.39%

COUNTY COMMISSIONER - DISTRICT 2 - SEAT C - Republican

Nick Newkirk

3,163

46.98%

Brian Pfund

866

12.86%

Jappy Stringer (I)

2,704

40.16%

COUNTY BOE - DISTRICT 3

Suzanne S. Hallman

139

33.33%

Jennifer Campbell Mock

278

67.67%

COUNTY BOE - DISTRICT 7

Heather Mims (I)

622

49.68%

Lisha Nevil

630

50.32%