COVINGTON, Ga. — Voters elected to keep Anthony Henderson and Susie Keck for a second term on the Covington City Council on Tuesday and welcome political newcomer Charika Davis.
Davis narrowly defeated Scotty Scoggins 186-148 to succeed longtime Councilwoman Hawnethia Williams in Post 2 representing the West Ward. Scoggins held the edge in advance voting totals 86-69, but absentee ballots were one-sided with Davis garnering 42 absentee votes to Scoggins’ 5. Davis also led Election Day voting 75-57. There were only three unresolved write-in votes.
“It has been a phenomenal experience,” said Davis, who is a lifelong resident that works as an insurance/team manager. “I went door to door. I spoke to citizens. I put in the work. I literally put in the work every weekend going door to door, talking with constituents and just letting them know who I was — a lot of people in the district didn’t know me, so I had to really go out and do the leg work to make myself known. Now I’m a firm believer that if you put in the work, you will see it in the results.”
After the final, unofficial voting totals were announced inside the elections office at the Newton County Administration Building, Davis became overwhelmed with emotion, shedding tears and hugging members of her campaign team, and others including Williams and Councilman Kenneth Morgan, who were both on hand to hear the results.
“It’s been a tough experience,” Davis said. “But we came out on top… It’s an awesome feeling.”
Davis spoke highly of Williams and the supportive role she’s been played throughout the campaign process.
“She’s been a great mentor,” Davis said. “She’s very knowledgeable. She knows people. She knows the city. It has been a great experience having her in my corner just praying for me and believing in me, even sometimes maybe when I didn’t believe in myself. She’s a great lady — awesome lady.”
Davis said she’ll be “hitting the ground running” by being a soundboard for residents.
“I’ll be taking any kind of complaints or concerns from my constituents,” Davis said. “I’m here for the people, and whatever they want and whatever they need, I’m here to represent them. That’s my priority.”
Scoggins expressed his disappointment after the close loss but said he was proud of his campaign.
“I’m disappointed, but I ran an honest, honorable and sincere campaign,” Scoggins said. “I met people in every corner of the West Ward — many of whom have changed my perspective of many things. I plan to continue to help make a better community for my neighbors. But mostly, the city council needs to figure out how to make the West Ward — from Monticello to [Hwy.] 278 to Brown Bridge to Flat Shoals to West Street to Emory Street — and the surrounding areas feel like they are as much a part of the city of Covington as the East Ward.”
In the race for East Ward Post 1, incumbent Keck defeated challenger Carla Ferry 457-347 to keep her seat. Ferry held the edge in Election Day voting (187-181) and absentee voting (13-9), but Keck’s decisive 267-147 advanced voting total won her reelection bid.
“It is humbling to have been reelected to the Covington City Council for another four years by some 57% of eligible voters in my post,” Keck said in a statement to The Covington News. “The first four years was a significant learning curve, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue to apply what I’ve learned and experienced for the betterment of the entire city of Covington, not just my East Ward. These times demand that all of us on council pull together, make the compromises that are necessary and go forward united in pursuit of the best city we can be. And believe me, we are the envy of hundreds of towns and cities across the state.
“Some in the race just concluded tried to make it a referendum on growth and, frankly, pushed a narrative that the growth we are experiencing is anything but positive, that it will destroy the charming small town we love. There were a lot of untruths and negative comments thrown about in an effort to destroy, deceive and distort.
“Growth – managed growth with clear goals – is a good thing, and elected policymakers and citizens must join together to create a shared vision that will benefit all of us. We have the power and responsibility to manage growth within what is allowed by law, zoning and city ordinances. We can’t just shut the door and wall ourselves off. That’s impossible, and it would be a dereliction of duty if we failed to engage on the questions that growth presents. I thank the voters of East Ward, Post 1 for their continued faith in me.”
Despite the loss, Ferry was proud of her first run at a political office and enjoyed the ride.
“Thank you, Covington!” Ferry stated. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know so many more people in our city during my campaign. My first time running for office has been a wonderful learning experience. I would like to personally thank every person that I have met along the campaign trail, especially those that have contributed to my campaign in time, effort, conversations and ideas. Most importantly, I’d like to thank all voters for showing up and being part of the process; this is what makes America the greatest country on Earth. I hope that others will stand for what they believe in as I have.”
Henderson, who recently described himself as a Covington guy, born and raised in the Nelson Heights community, was reelected for a second term to Post 3, representing the West Ward.
Henderson used to work for the Newton County government as a code enforcement officer until he chose to resign in June. Henderson was first placed on administrative leave in February shortly after he was bound over by the State Election Board to the state Attorney General’s Office for criminal prosecution for election law violations in 2017. He has not been indicted.
Running unopposed, Henderson garnered 261 total votes. There were 19 unresolved write-in votes.
“First, I want to give honor to God, who’s the head of my life,” Henderson said in a statement Wednesday morning. “I want to do something different this time. I [would] like to remind everyone that your gratitude will determine your altitude. It’s so easy not to realize how blessed we are. Daily we go through life not seizing the moment, and we tend to look over the things that matter, like life and the ability to wake up each morning to the people we love. The more we are appreciative, the more God will pour down his blessings and grace.
“In closing, I challenge everyone to get to know a person you don’t know, hear their story,” he continued. “You will realize you may be in a better situation. Support each other, disagree to agree for the common good of people. It’s not about what I can do; and it’s about what we can do together as a community. May God bless Covington!”
In total, only 1,154 ballots were cast in the municipal election, equating to 12.37% voter turnout. Per the elections office, there were 9,327 residents registered to cast a ballot in Covington this year. Voter turnout in the East Ward was much higher than in the West Ward. In the East, 17.51% of eligible voters cast a ballot for one race compared to just 7.39% in the West where there were two races.
