After 12 years as a Putnam County Commissioner, Rick Woodall still had goals he wanted to accomplish.
On Tuesday, the voters in Putnam County gave him that opportunity, as the Republican incumbent defeated Democratic challenger Denver Sizemore in the general election.
Unofficially, Woodall earned 65.07 percent (6,279 votes), while Sizemore amassed 34.93 percent of the vote (3,370 votes).
"I greatly appreciate the continued support from the voters of this county. There are a lot of things coming to our county in the next four years, and I will weigh out the pros and the cons of every decision for the best of this county and make the most informed decision I can. I truly love being a commissioner," Woodall told The Putnam County Post.
For Sizemore, the loss was his first in the political realm. Despite the setback, he said he was "proud" of the campaign he ran, but also expressed disappointment.
"I believe party loyalty and straight ticket voting carried more weight than the effort, ideas and record in front of voters. We spent months traveling this county, listening to residents, asking difficult questions and offering a vision for its future. From where I stood, my opponent made very little effort to explain why he deserved another four years or what he intended to accomplish with them. What troubles me is how comfortable an incumbent can become when he believes his party affiliation will do the campaigning for him. Residents should never have to wonder whether someone wants another term badly enough to explain what he will do with it," Sizemore told The Putnam County Post.
Sizemore said Putnam County continues to have poorly rated bridges, a stagnant economy and population, a doubled wheel tax, additional taxes and solar rezoning, and all that can be attributed to his opponent.
"After 12 years, that record deserved scrutiny. People deserved specific commitments about what would improve and how. Instead, I believe too much of this election came down to defending a political team. Whether someone checked the straight ticket box or selected each Republican individually, the concern is the same: how much did the person, the vision and the plan actually matter," Sizemore said.
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