Published: November 08, 2008 10:11 pm            

Jimmy Espy: Wins and losses

Let’s take a quick look back at election day and see which nuggets shine brightest.



Winners

• Dalton mayor David Pennington wasn’t on the ballot personally, but he was strongly identified with the recreation tax issue. Despite fervent opposition, Pennington’s case won the day convincingly.

Apparently the voting public isn’t afraid of change and is willing to give the mayor (and council) plenty of rein in making decisions.

The outcome of this vote can only make Pennington stronger politically — if not more beloved.

• Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood, a Democrat in a Republican enclave, was supposed to be in trouble this year. Challenger Claude Nix had the resume, funding and organization to unseat the longtime incumbent.

It didn’t happen. Not even close. Chitwood overpowered his opponent and did it with the same methodical, measured manner he’s used in the past. Impressive.

• Ditto for tax commissioner Danny Sane. For whatever reason, no politician in Whitfield County has more loyal supporters. The Republican crushed his opponent.

• Melica Kendrick emerged from a bruising race against Susan Miller, having been accused of everything short of the Lindbergh kidnapping. Her reward? Four more years of backstabbing.



Losers

• The anti-Pennington crowd looked at the recreation tax vote as a possible breakthrough issue against the mayor. Wrong. His reasonable view and forceful leadership carried the day. Pennington isn’t right about everything — this trolley idea should have been strangled in the crib — but when he’s on the mark he’s hard to beat.

• The sky-is-falling crowd had their man in Claude Nix who was gonna saddle up a big posse and go riding through town snatching up illegal aliens like a gigantic Hoover vacuum cleaner of justice.

However, local voters didn’t bite.

Despite the best efforts of some to whip residents into a fearful frenzy, most folks in Whitfield County feel reasonably safe and sound.

If someone is going to beat Chitwood one day, they’re going to need a stouter message.

• The anti-alcohol contingent in the county is starting to look like the last handful of defenders at the Alamo — backed into a corner and facing the inevitable.

There were two alcohol-related issues on the county ballot — one calling for Sunday alcohol sales by the drink and one allowing liquor by the drink on Monday through Saturday.

With little public support for either initiative — the Dalton Hospitality Association was apparently on siesta — neither was given much of a chance to pass.

But voters decided otherwise.

Sunday sales got its usual spanking, but liquor by the drink was approved 51-49 percent. It may have been the day’s most surprising result.

• I hope I’m wrong but the people of District 3 may not gain much from the election of Ringgold Republican Tom Weldon to the state House. Weldon showed little interest in this part of the district during his successful run for office. Hopefully, we’ll capture his eye at some point in the next two years.

• U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss carried the day in Whitfield County, but statewide much of his support evaporated. The result? He is in a runoff with nobody Democrat Jim Martin. Chambliss is paying the price for his go-along to get-along ways and it’s hard to work up much sympathy for him.

How many Whitfield Countians will turn out for the runoff election? We’ll see.



Jimmy Espy is executive editor of The Daily Citizen. He blogs at Espysoutpost.blogspot.com. Stop by and sit a spell.

        

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