JaNice VanNess elected as Rockdale County’s first woman to serve as BOC Chairman in heated run-off

All three incumbents defeated

ROCKDALE COUNTY. GA— The three-member Rockdale County Board of Commissioners will be run by women beginning in January 2025. The change will come as JaNice VanNess takes office the first female  in the county’s modern history to hold the office of Chairman of the Board, after soundly defeating incumbent Oz Nesbitt, Sr.  in a heated runoff on Tuesday, June 18..

Van Ness will be joined by political newcomer Tuwanya Smith, who overwhelmingly defeated incumbent Sherri Washington for the Post 1 Commissioner seat. The third woman already serving on the Board of Commissioners is Post 2 Commissioner Doreen Williams.

VanNess dominated the race for Rockdale’s top leadership position in the historic race. Unofficial results show that VanNess captured 5, 436 votes (58.93%) —solidly securing above the 50 percent needed to win the runoff.  Nesbitt, who has served 8 years as a commissioner and 8 years as chairman, received  3,789 votes (41.07%)).

VanNess joined another female history maker on election night:  Lorraine Cochran-Johnson soundly defeated former District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson in the runoff to become DeKalb County’s first African-American woman to hold the position.  The two women will become part of a growing group of females who oversee counties across metro Atlanta including Clayton County CEO Alieka Anderson; Cobb County CEO Lisa N. Cupid; Gwinnett County CEO Nicole L. Hendrickson; Douglas County CEO Ramona J. Jones; and  Henry County CEO Carlotta H. Harrell

VanNess was elated over her victory. She said on Wednesday(June 19) that she is thankful for supporters who elected her to move the county forward and is looking forward to serving. VanNess  said she plans to establish a transition team that will include community leaders to help guide the county’s direction.

Asked if her opponent had reached out to her, VanNess said that Nesbitt left a message on her cell phone on election night, congratulating her on her victory. Nesbitt’s term ends in December and VanNess will be sworn into office in January 2025.

Nesbitt had waged a runoff campaign that included television and radio commercials, as well as endorsements from high profile officials such as Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.  Nesbitt focused on calling out VanNess as a Republican who switched to the Democratic Party in her bid to unseat him.  VanNess, however, campaigned on “cleaning up the mess,” saying she planned to restore Rockdale to a more fiscally responsible government where rising property taxes became one of the main issues that raised an outcry and solidarity among both Democrats and Republicans, blacks and whites.  She also called attention to costly lawsuits involving Nesbitt.

Tom Harrison, a long-time resident who serves as chair of the Conyers-Rockdale Planning Commission, said that VanNess’ victory represents a “new day” for Rockdale. Harrison and his wife, Lorraine, who served as Rockdale’s first female commissioner for an interim period, said that VanNess is a proven leader, having previously served on the Rockdale Board of Commissioners and as a state senator representing Rockdale.

“It’s a new day in Rockdale. As we move through the transition, I hope there is collaboration and cooperation from all parties for the good of our county,” said Tom Harrison.

In addition to electing VanNess, voters also chose two newcomers to fill seats held by incumbents.  Post 1 Commissioner Sherri Washington was defeated by Tuwanya Smith, who received a whopping 69.55 percent —6,338 votes.  Washington garnered  30.55 percent—2,776 votes. 

Incumbent Mandy M. North also took a tumble in the Post 1 Board of Education race, losing to Larry Cox, who earned 56.16 percent (5,482 votes). North finished with 43.84 percent (4,279 votes).

Applause filled the room as Board of Elections officials announced the final tallies of all 16 precincts in a room where observers were gathered on election night.  Many who remained for the final unofficial tallies congratulated  Cox, who was the only candidate in attendance.

The  Rockdale Board of Elections will certify the election results on Friday, June 21,  5:30 p.m., at the Board of Elections Office in Conyers.

Below is a look at the Election Summary in all three Rockdale runoffs. There is  a link to the Georgia Secretary of State’s web site that shows by precincts how the candidates performed:

https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/GA/Rockdale/121936/web.317647/#/summary?v=341531%2F