Two Close Races Make a Statement in Dunwoody

One of the “Clean Sweep Candidates” won on Tuesday, but two races were close. In District 3, incumbent Doug Thompson beat Sam Eads by 35 votes. Thompson had 52 percent of the vote with 1,137 ballots. Eads received 41 percent of the vote with 887 ballots cast in his favor. William Mercier trailed with seven percent of the vote.

Thompson called the results unofficial. “Sam Eads ran a wonderful campaign,” he said.

In District 1, incumbent Denis Shortal won over Henly Shelton with 58 percent of the vote. Shortal garnered 906 votes. Shelton received 409, and 49 votes were cast for David Davis. 

In District 2, “Clean Sweep Candidate” Jim Riticher won over Heyward Wescott and William Mercier. Ritchier had 52 percent of the vote, Wescott, 41 percent and Mercier, seven percent.

Wescott’s campaign manager, Brent Morris was shocked by the outcome. “It tells me that there is discontent and that Jim Ritichier did a good job of [playing] on that discontent,” he said. “I think the city needs to do a better job of communicating with the citizens.”

Morris added, “I am very proud of the way that Heyward handled his campaign…the beauty of it is he is still going to be around, and he is going to be doing all of the things he’s been doing in this community.”

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