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Voters wait to sign in to vote at H. Odell Weeks Activity Center Tuesday morning.
RON COCKERILLE/STAFF |
Aiken County Council appears to have a whole new look.
At 9:50 p.m. it appeared the council would welcome three new members.
With seven of 16 precincts counted, Charles Barton was leading the District 6 race with 75 percent of the vote while his Democratic opponent, Danny Porter, held 25 percent.
Mr. Barton, 57, the owner of Barton Radiator and Electric Service, has said he wants to bring harmony back to the council and cut excess spending.
"Anybody who runs has to work," Mr. Barton said. "It shows we worked."
With six of District 1's 13 precincts reporting, Democratic incumbent Kathy Rawls was locked in a dog fight, edging Republican challenger Al Brodie with 52 percent of the vote to Mr. Brodie's 48 percent.
Ms. Rawls was first elected to the council in a 1988 special election and served until 1995. Two years later she was re-elected in another special election.
She has served a total of 12 years on the council.
Mrs. Rawls is a proponent of business and industrial growth, expanding recreation facilities and taking care of District 1's unpaved roads.
She said Tuesday night she would make sure her district's roads would be paved.
"I feel good," she said. "I'm looking forward to going back."
The council's two other new faces are businessman Eddie Butler, who defeated District 5 incumbent Phil Napier in the July primary, and Scott Singer, who defeated Libby Bland in July for the District 2 seat.
He replaces incumbent Susan Giddings, who did not run for re-election.
Neither man faced opposition in the general election.
Reach Josh Gelinas at (803) 279-6895 or josh.gelinas@augustachronicle.com.
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