Three Republicans were the only candidates who entered the race for the District 5 Commissioner seat on the Newton County Board of Commissioners (BOC). After the May 24 primaries, when none of the candidates received 50 percent of the vote, a run-off election, was scheduled for last Tuesday.
Only 35 votes separated the candidates in the primary. Ronnie Cowan received 675, or 51.33 percent of the votes, while Jared Rutberg received 640 votes, or 48.67 percent.
Because there is no Democratic or other party candidate for the seat, Cowan will become the next District 5 Commissioner, replacing Levie Maddox. The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Cowan said he looked forward to serving his community on the BOC. “I first want to give glory to God for His grace and direction through this election process, and thank my family for their constant support.
“I am happy with Tuesday’s election results and I sincerely thank all the citizens of District 5 who voted for me and have entrusted me to serve as their representative,” he said. “I am also deeply grateful to my campaign team for their hard work.”
Rutberg said he ran for the District 5 Commissioner seat because he wanted to be part of a community and help it be the best place to watch families and children grow.
“Thank you to all of those that voted for and supported me, showing they objectively wanted the best future for our county,” he said.
“Twelve plus years ago I chose to move our family to this community after we got out of the Army,” he said. “I only wanted to be part of a community and help it be the best place to watch our children grow. Since then I led our family on this journey, spending literally thousands of volunteer hours and tens of thousands of dollars supporting the school system, non-profit organizations, fundraisers, etc. all in an effort to make this the best place to raise our family.”
He apologized to his wife and children for missing so much family time this spring and summer. “God has his reasons. I know I represented my family honorably, was motivated by selfless intentions and set a good example for my boys, which is most important. God will show the path for me going forward.”