City Elections Article for Com 301

Voters re-elected all three incumbents from Ward 2 in the race for Rome’s City Commission on Tuesday.

Katie Dempsey, Jamie Doss and Bill Fricks will serve additional terms of four years. As a part of the nine-member City Commission, they have the power to appoint the City Manager and to guide the direction Rome is moving in. One of the key projects they will face during their new term is that of the West Third Street development.

With all six precincts and the advanced and absentee ballots counted, Dempsey took the top number of votes with 1,353 votes. She was followed by Doss with 1,133 votes and Fricks with 1,091 votes. Challengers Steven McDowell Jr. and Randy Michael were separated by only two votes. Michael garnered 865 votes compared to McDowell’s 863 votes.

Even though the challengers were unsuccessful in winning the election, both remained optimistic about the future. Michael said, “I’m not disappointed. There are three good people in there.”

McDowell also viewed the experience in a positive light. He said, “After getting my feet wet in this election, I plan to run again in four years".

Elections are held every two years for Rome’s City Commission. There are no primaries for the non-partisan, general election where three commissioners from each of the city’s three wards are selected. The election is held by plurality, with the top three vote receivers winning the seats.