By Barbara Augsdorfer, Editor for the Effingham Herald

Melissa Calhoun and Daniel Rodewolt finished their hard-fought campaigns and won their respective seats in the June 18 runoff election in Effingham County.

The tax commission race was close Election Night as votes were tallied. Rodewolt was ahead by just 230 votes with 16 of 20 precincts counted less than two hours after polls closed.

When all the votes were counted, Daniel Rodewolt had 1,438 (54.8%) to Kelly Hoffner’s 1,183 (45.1%) to take the tax commissioner post. Calhoun received 1,623 (56.8%) to unseat Judge Stephen Yekel as state court judge. Yekel received 1,232 (43.1%) of the vote.

Both Rodewolt and Calhoun expressed their thanks to the county voters for their support.

“I would like to thank the residents of Effingham County for electing me as your next Tax Commissioner. What started as a desire to enhance the Tax Office evolved throughout my campaign,” said Rodewolt.

“I have had the privilege of connecting with many amazing residents and officials, further solidifying my commitment to be a part of maintaining our county's excellence. I want to keep the place I grew up, the same great place for my children and future generations,” Rodewolt added.

Rodewolt then gave a summary of what his priorities are once he takes office in January 2025.

“I will start by learning every role in the office myself, investing in our current staff, and leading by example,” Rodewolt continued. “I will be accessible to all residents. I will prioritize communication to alleviate confusion, keep taxpayers informed, and provide the best overall experience for customers.”

Calhoun offered her thanks to her family, but also urged Effingham County voters to exercise their right to vote.

“I wish that there would have been a larger turnout. Everybody needs to start exercising their right to vote. That's what's very important,” Calhoun said. “But the people who supported me -- and I've got to give a shout out to my husband and my boys -- for me to give credit where credit is due; and if they wouldn't have been behind me, I wouldn't have been in this at all.”

Calhoun added that between now and January she will be in private law practice, and that she recently completed mediation training, so she will be able to work on some mediation sessions.

She also mentioned some of her priorities after she is sworn in as state court judge.

“I want to sit down with Walt (Lawson) coming in as the clerk and also several other because I don't want to reinvent the wheel,” Calhoun said. “But there's certain things that we need to coordinate, so that when we begin this, everything starts running smoothly from the beginning.”

 

Voter turnout was low

Early voting was held June 10-14. According to the Effingham County elections and registration office, 1,124 voters cast their ballots during that week.

Another 1,762 voters cast ballots on Election Day, for a grand total of 2,886 or 6.25% of the 46,188 registered voters in the county.

In the May 21 primary, 7,434 voters, or just over 16% cast their ballots in Effingham County.