The Oglethorpe Echo
Early voting for the Democratic primary runoff for the Public Service Commission continues through Friday, July 11 at the Oglethorpe County Board of Elections.
Only those who cast a Democratic ballot or didn’t vote in the primary election on June 17 are eligible to vote in the runoff election.
Peter Hubbard and Alicia Sean Waites are the candidates for District 3 of the PSC.
Waites received 63 votes and Hubbard had 51 votes in Oglethorpe County in the primary.
The winner will face Fitz Johnson, the Republican incumbent, in the general election in November.
Early voting is held 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Oglethorpe County Board of Elections.
All three of the county’s precincts are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on July 15. They are Sonlight Baptist Church (1134 Hargrove Lake Road), the Historic Depot in Crawford and the elections office.
The PSC is a statewide regulatory commission with five members who have exclusive power to decide what rates are fair and reasonable for certain public services.
District requests parents contact about disabilities
Karyn Gunter, the new special education director for the Oglethorpe County School System, requests that parents contact her if their child has a disability or has been identified as a student with a disability under special education.
Special education services might be available to those students, so she wants all eligible students have access to the support and resources they need.
Contact Gunter at 706-743-8128 or at kgunter@oglethorpe.k12.ga.us.
Greene’s Miller to run against Rhodes
Greene County’s Melanie Miller said she plans to run for the District 124 seat in the Georgia House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm election.
Trey Rhodes, a Republican from Greensboro who took office in 2023, defeated Miller with 65.7% of the vote (22,282 to 11,913) in the 2024 election.
Georgia House of Representatives members serve two-year terms and aren’t subject to term limits.
Miller, 54, is a native of Greensboro, a U.S. Army Reserves combat medic veteran and a small-business owner. She founded the nonprofit Suddenly Single Parents in 2003, helping thousands access affordable housing, childcare and health assistance, Miller wrote in an email.
“My campaign stands on strengthening public education, Medicaid expansion and supporting working families by increasing minimum wages,” Miller wrote. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and represent District 124 with integrity, transparency and compassion. I will continue to put people over politics.”