East Cobb Election Update: Johnson hanging on, Marbutt wins

Fitz Johnson, Cobb Commission candidate — *Fitz Johnson*

The Cobb Board of Elections and Registration is still counting some outstanding absentee and privisional ballots, but it looks as though Vinings resident Fitz Johnson has won the Republican Cobb Board of Commissioners District 2 runoff.

UPDATED Friday, 7:20 p.m.: Johnson is the unofficial winner after corrected provisional and most absentee ballots were counted, with an 86-vote margin.

The results will be certified Aug. 20.

Johnson led East Cobb resident Andy Smith by 83 votes after Tuesday’s in-person voting, and additional absentee ballots that have been counted show Johnson has increased his lead by 90 votes.

According to unofficial results from the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, Johnson has 4,913 votes and Smith 4,823 votes.

Smith, a former member of the Cobb Planning Commission, said in a message to his supporters Thursday morning that “while it looks like we came up short, I have loved this process and enjoyed meeting so many great people who I can now call friends. It was time well spent.

Smith led most of Tuesday evening and won more absentee ballots. Johnson, a retired Army officer and business executive who’s a trustee of the Wellstar Health System, picked up support late, especially in the northernmost East Cobb precincts.

Jason Marbutt, Cobb senior assistant DA — *Jason Marbutt*

Johnson would face Jerica Richardson, unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the November general election.

Cobb Elections said earlier Wednesday that around 600 absentee ballots were to be counted, and around 50 or so provisional ballots and some out-of-town absentee ballots remained outstanding.

The results will not be certified until next Thursday, Aug. 20.

Tuesday’s runoffs also decided another Cobb commission seat, in District 4 in South Cobb, where Monique Sheffield, a member of the Cobb Board of Zoning Appeals, defeated Shelia Edwards in the Democratic primary.

Sheffield has no Republican opposition in November and will succeed commissioner Lisa Cupid, who is challenging GOP incumbent Mike Boyce for Cobb Commission Chairman.

East Cobb resident Jason Marbutt has been elected to the Cobb Superior Court in a non-partisan runoff. Marbutt, who is is senior assistant Cobb district attorney, defeated attorney Greg Shenton with 55.8 percent of the vote in the race to succeed retiring judge Stephen Schuster.

Marbutt, who serves on the Cobb Elder Abuse Task Force, told supporters that “I will work hard to honor the trust placed in me by the citizens of Cobb County. Judge Schuster leaves an enduring legacy after many years of fine service. I will honor him by continuing his good work as a servant to the public.”

In another non-partisan judicial runoff, Diana Simmons edged Tricia Griffiths with 51.3 percent of the vote for a post on State Court vacating by retiring Toby Prodgers.

Connie Taylor won 62 percent of the vote in a Democratic runoff for Cobb Superior Court Clerk. She will face Republican incumbent Rebecca Keaton in November.