The “congratulations” started rolling in both in person and via telephone at around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
The news started to sink in. Lynn Wright, smiling from ear to ear, would be the new Lowndes County superintendent.
The unofficial results show Wright, Republican, earned 52.87 percent of the votes, a total of 4,710, handily defeating opponents Cliff Reynolds and Rusty Greene. Wright said he was “relieved and overjoyed” when it was all but concrete that he had won the race.
“Lowndes County has a lot of good things going, and we want to keep them going,” Wright said.
“I want to thank the good Lord, my family and wife and the voters of Lowndes County for their prayers and support and all the volunteers that worked so hard. I also want to give a special thanks to the campaign captains, Paula Gregory and Spence Andrews and advisers Beth Stewart, Georgia Sheffield and Stan Weathers.”
Reynolds, Democrat, earned 24.28 percent, a total of 2,163 votes, and Greene, independent, earned 22.83 percent, a total of 2,034 votes. There were two write-in votes.
Reynolds said as he was walking out of the courthouse that he felt good about the race and campaign he ran.
“I thought there would be higher numbers, but it is what it is,” Reynolds said.
“Mr. Wright has my full support and of course the most important thing for me is the well-being of the students.”
Reynolds does not regret anything about his campaign strategy.
“I don’t think there’s anything that we would’ve done different,” he said.
Wright was born in Columbus and attended the University of Alabama and the University of West Alabama. He has 35 years of experience in education with 28 years as a principal or headmaster. He worked in numerous school districts before coming to Lowndes County and working for three years as the New Hope High School principal.
Reynolds has 22 years of experience in education with 16 in the Lowndes County School District. He spent 12 years at New Hope High School and then became West Lowndes High School principal.
Greene has 17 years of experience in the Lowndes County School District, with time spent as a West Lowndes High School teacher and coach, Caledonia Middle School assistant principal and now the Columbus High School athletic director.
According to Lowndes County election officials, there are 80 affidavit ballots; those were being counted this morning.
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