Candidates across Habersham County spent part of Wednesday reflecting on Tuesday’s election results. They expressed a mix of gratitude, optimism, and continued commitment to their communities.
Baldwin
Newly elected Baldwin Mayor Doug Faust expressed his eagerness to get started in his new role as the city’s top elected official. Faust, the former CEO of the Decatur Housing Authority, defeated longtime Baldwin City Councilwoman Alice Venter with 55% of the vote.
“I am excited to get to work for all the citizens of Baldwin. I am deeply humbled to have been chosen as the mayor,” Faust told Now Habersham. “I will be doing a deep dive into the finances of the city and look forward to determining how to address our infrastructure and economic needs in Baldwin.”
Venter, meanwhile, said she sees the election outcome as part of a larger plan.
“This is a time to rejoice! God has a plan for me and a plan for Baldwin. And I think part of that plan has been one of personal growth for me and for Baldwin, a time of settling of the dust,” she said. “I’m looking forward to all of the things I get to reveal and the way I can interact with our government as a private citizen. Stay tuned, I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
Clarkesville
In Clarkesville, voters chose former councilwoman Leigh Johnston to return to office. Johnston thanked her supporters and pledged to work hard on upcoming projects.
“I’d like to thank the Clarkesville community for having confidence in me and allowing me to serve as a council member. I’m eager to get to work! I want to extend a thank you to Rick Coulon for running a quality campaign and sharing his passion for the city. Our city has several major projects in the near future, and I am committed to working hard, listening to the community, and making the right decisions as we move forward. My heartfelt thanks to everyone for participating in the future of our community,” Johnston said.
Coulon expressed appreciation for the residents he met during his campaign and called for continued civic engagement.
“As a relatively new resident, I am so grateful for the support I received and the opportunity to meet so many residents. I love this small town and hope our city government meets the many challenges effectively and includes concerned citizens as we face a period of unprecedented growth,” he said.
Demorest
Demorest City Councilman Shawn Allen won reelection. He was the top vote-getter in a four-person race for two open seats on the council.
“I’m thankful to the voters for giving me an opportunity to serve a second full term. I’m thankful for the other candidates that ran. A contested election is much better than the alternative of nobody willing to step up to serve their community. I hope we continue that tradition of having contested races so we can find the leaders of the future,” Allen said. He added, “I feel that the council had many accomplishments during my first five years. I ran because there are many projects we started and I would like to see them through to the end over the next four years. And like anyone should say, ‘I hope when I’m done that things are a little bit better than when I started.'”
Andrew Ferguson, another Demorest City Council incumbent, also won reelection.
Voter turnout
In Habersham County, 6,270 of the county’s 30,982 active voters cast ballots—a turnout of roughly 20%. Nearly half of those voters cast their ballots early, while 3,083 voted in person on Election Day.
Habersham’s voter turnout was among the highest in Northeast Georgia.
SEE ALSO
