Incumbent Faces Well-Funded Challenger in Floyd County Clerk Election

For the first time in five elections, incumbent Barbara Penson is facing a well-funded opponent for the Floyd County Superior Court Clerk seat, in Mary Hardin Thornton.

There is no Democratic candidate for November, so the race will be decided in the May 21 Republican primary. Early voting is underway now at three locations: the Floyd County Elections Center in Rome, the Thornton Recreation Center in Armuchee and the Anthony Recreation Center in Garden Lakes.

Penson has warded off challengers every four years since she won the seat in a contested race in 2008, with contributions and expenses well below the $10,000 mark. That’s changed this year, according to campaign finance reports through April 30 filed Tuesday at the county elections office.

Thornton reported donations totaling $23,226 compared with $2,300 for Penson during the same period. The incumbent also had nearly $3,000 in her campaign chest to start, for a total of $5,209.

Major donors to Penson included her chief deputy clerk, Vicki Parton, $1,000; local attorney Larry Barkley, $500; and former county commissioner John Mayes and his wife, the Rev. Terri Mayes, $250.

Penson listed expenses of $4,420 — mainly to Hi-Tech Signs for signs and the Rome News-Tribune for advertising — leaving her with $789 cash on hand.

Thornton drew contributions of various amounts from a number of local attorneys, including major donors H.L. Cromartie III, at $2,500, and Andy Davis at $1,500. The family-owned Summerville/Trion Bancshares also kicked in $2,000.

Donations of $1,000 each came from Billy G. and Avis C. Thornton, Tom Caldwell III and Kevin Evans of Evans Construction.

Her expenses totaled $15,262, leaving her with $7,964 to work with as of April 30.

Thornton’s spending included signs and bumper magnets from Hi-Tech Signs along with advertising with local radio, newspaper and online outlets. She also purchased campaign T-shirts, was a sponsor of the Network Day Service Center golf tournament fundraiser and fielded a team at the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Backyard BBQ Bash.

Both candidates paid a qualifying fee of $2,425.67 to the Floyd County Republican Party.