Election 2020: Here’s the latest results on District 7 seat for Muscogee County School Board
One-term incumbent Cathy Williams has defeated her challenger, the Rev. Walter Taylor, for the District 7 seat on the Muscogee County School Board.
With all seven of the district’s precincts reporting late Wednesday afternoon, Williams received 63% (1,496) of the 2,373 votes, according to the Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registration.
The only votes that haven’t been counted in the race are eight unresolved write-ins. All results are unofficial until they are certified by the five-member county elections board.
Williams told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email she is “very pleased” by the outcome.
The key to her victory, she said, was “my reputation as an effective and engaged school board member. Experience and leadership.”
Taylor wasn’t reached for comment before publication.
Williams, 62, has served on the school board for 12 years. She was the nine-member board’s lone countywide representative for eight years (2007-14), including two as chairwoman.
She is president and CEO of NeighborWorks Columbus, a nonprofit organization promoting and providing access to fit and affordable housing. She graduated from Spencer High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Troy University. She also earned a certificate in community development from the Achieving Excellence program at Harvard University.
Taylor, 36, is senior pastor of The Life Church of Columbus, clinical director of The Life Center, which offers counseling and other community resources, and owner of Tax Giant USA.
During his eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps, he was deployed for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, then honorably discharged as a sergeant.
He graduated from Carver High School and earned the following college degrees: an associate’s in funeral service from Gupton-Jones College, a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Phoenix, a master’s in biblical studies and a doctorate in theology from North Carolina College of Theology and a doctorate in Christian counseling from Saint Thomas University.
During its May 7 meeting, the Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registration unanimously voted to deny the challenge against Taylor’s candidacy, based on residency. Elections director Nancy Boren said the board members relied on the documents Taylor presented: his driver’s license and utility bills.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 1:16 PM.
