Incumbent sheriff, challenger face round 2 in battle for seat
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Incumbent Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree appears headed to a runoff against challenger Gino Brantley.
To Brantley, it’s a battle for change, while Roundtree wants to continue the work he’s been doing in his 12 years as sheriff.
With all precincts reporting in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, Roundtree had 49% of the votes, compared to 28% for Brantley. To win the primary, a candidate would need 50% plus one vote, so that means there will be a runoff June 18.
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In the three-way Democratic primary, challenger Bo Johnson had 23% of the vote, so he is out of the running now.
Brantley is ready for the next round.
“We will continue to work to earn your vote,” he said.
Roundtree says he’s been here before.
He faced a runoff 12 years ago against Scott Peebles and won.
And he’s ready to do it again.
But Brantley says the numbers show people want change.
“The seat is never guaranteed – the seat was never guaranteed to me,” Roundtree said. “But I think again, of last 12 years, we’ve been putting in the work people have seen – a product which speaks for itself. And I’m confident based on the numbers that came in last night that citizens of Augusta would give us four more years.”
But Brantley believes the numbers at the polls show the opposite.
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“If you look at the numbers, more people were not backing the current sheriff because he didn’t get 50% plus one vote, so that meant that more people feel like we need change, whether it was me or Bo Johnson,” he said. “So that was very encouraging, and so that lends to tell me that the fight must go on.”
Now it’s a fight both candidates can agree on – a fight for change.
“Every year, we’ve been evolving, as the sheriff’s office numbers are continually decreasing in crime,” he said. “You know, our biggest challenge, again, is gun violence, which as a national trend, but we always trying to come up with ideas to combat that. We’ve done a great step forward. And with the agency, accreditation agency, state and national accreditation, advancing technology footprint within the crime-fighting tools, we got that and, you know, we’re starting our real-time crime center that we’re starting. So, you know, for the last 12 years we’ve been evolving, to bring about that change, and we continue in the next four years, we’re going to keep on evolving.”
Brantley isn’t convinced.
“It’s just kind of alarming that we, you know, haven’t really curbed the violence here in our city, but people still say they want change,” he said. “So we just have to get out and encourage people. If you want change, you have to get out and encourage people.”
Roundtree wants to continue what he started 12 years ago.
“We’ve done like six major operations that we’ve done when we dismantle gangs, but that is definitely one of the ones that makes an impact when you’re talking about enough fentanyl to kill three and a half million people that was taken off the streets of Augusta,” he said. “You know, that’s huge for your community. That lets you know, the impact that we’re having here. So like, say, that’s something we it’s not our first one we’ve been doing, and we’re gonna continue to do it.”
Brantley says that from now until June 18, it’s about securing change.
“That change is for a sheriff that’s accessible, active and approachable in our community,” he said.
Elected three times before, and with experience ranging from running patrol to learning from the FBI national academy, Roundtree’s confidence lies in the fact he’s been in this seat before.
He touts an expanding Flock camera program that started two years ago, with eyes set on a future real-time crime center.
But his focus is tackling gun violence, especially aimed at our youths.
Brantley started working for the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office in 2000 and went to work for the Marshal’s Office in 2016. He’s now a sergeant who oversees evictions.
From his point of view, he says the standard has dropped.
He cites poor response times to emergencies, a lack of morale and a need for more deputies to be active in the community as reasons to run for office.
Brantley says the root of solving the agency’s problems is retaining more officers.
The winner of the Democratic runoff will go up against independent Richard Dixon – if Dixon collects enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
No Republicans are running.
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