Newton Citizen

COVINGTON - Political newcomer Levie Maddox handily beat former commissioner Ronnie Dimsdale in Tuesday's District 5 Board of Commissioners Republican runoff election.

Maddox won by 73.13 percent of the vote to Dimsdale's 26.87 percent. Maddox received 588 votes and Dimsdale received 216, according to unofficial results from the Newton County Board of Elections.

Maddox could not immediately be reached for comment.

"I want to thank the people that supported me," Dimsdale said. "I intend to talk with Levie and congratulate him and also, he and I had talked in the past and we had an agreement that whichever one of us won the other would support. I'd be happy to support him going forward."

Maddox will go on to face Democrat Marcello Banes in November.

Maddox said if elected his top priority would be economic development.

Maddox describes himself as a political moderate and fiscal conservative.

He has more than 16 years of experience in corporate management, including budgeting, capital investment projects, purchasing and operations. He currently works with LB Recycling in town, primarily in sales, marketing, projects and business development.

Dimsdale and Maddox tied each other during the general primary with 29.8 percent of the vote, each receiving 740 votes, forcing a runoff in the crowded race for District 5, which had four Republican candidates.

Precincts that voted in the District 5 runoff were Alcovy and portions of City Pond, Covington Mills, Brewers, Cedar Shoals, Livingston, Gum Creek, Leguinn, Mansfield, Oxford and Hub.

Turnout was 4.4 percent, but that was based on total registered voters throughout the county, not just those that were eligible to vote in the runoff races, which also included State House District 113. For coverage of that race, see Thursday's Citizen.