Shannon Whitfield Unseats Long Time winner Bebe Heiskell in Walker. Co Race

WALKER COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF)- Republican Shannon Whitfield cruised to victory in Walker county Tuesday night and unseated long-time sole commissioner Bebe Heiskell.

The Chickamauga businessman says he’s looking ahead to getting Walker county back into the black.

Bebe Heiskell actually placed third in the commission race, and Walker county political observers say it was things like her futile efforts to develop mountain cove, and the resulting debt, that put her tenure in jeopardy.
A tax increase 2 years ago didn’t help.

Back in May of 2016 Bebe Heiskell stated, “The SPLOST debt is the largest part of the debt we owe, and the people voted on that so they shouldn’t be upset with it.”

But the gathering complaints were enough to give Shannon Whitfield 17,361 votes to 2960 for Heiskell and 35-03 for the third candidate, Perry Lamb.

Whitfield appeared on UCTV Wednesday morning to thank supporters.

Although she did not want to be interviewed for this story, Bebe Heiskell called in to the station.

“I was glad that Bebe reached out to me this morning on the air. I did not know she was going to call in but I thought it was uh very professional of her to do that and I was glad to hear from her and we had a very good conversation,” said Shannon Whitfield.

Whitfield says he wants to end the sole commissioner system.

“Yes, my full intention is to be the last sole commissioner of Walker county. And so that’s one of the things we’re going to be working on with our legislative delegates is to start down that process to start working toward a referendum that would be binding for the citizens to vote on in 2018,” said Whitfield.

76% of voters want that to happen. Only 8 counties left in the country still have it and they are all in Georgia.

Whitfield says his race against Heiskell was not personal.

“I’ve always had high regards for Commissioner Heiskell. I’ve known her for years and I know she’s done the best, you know that she could do for the county and I commend her for her service the last 16 years as commissioner,”said Whitfield.

In Walker county, Bill Mitchell News 12 Now.