South Walton 'has a voice now': Donna Johns elected District 4 County Commissioner
SANTA ROSA BEACH — Donna Johns has been elected to the District 4 seat on the Walton County Commission.
A Miramar Beach resident who spent 20 years in the military, Johns has been active in the community, serving on several county committees and most recently as a board member for South Walton Mosquito Control.
"I want to do so much good for this county, and I can't wait to get started," Johns said Tuesday evening.
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Unofficial results had Johns defeating small business owner David Buchanan by a vote margin of 7,432 to 6,244. Third candidate Charles Galloway lagged with 3,040 votes.
With her victory, Johns makes local history by joining Commissioner Tony Anderson as a second South Walton County resident on the five-member board. During this year's redistricting, the county's governing board approved a map that created for the first time two exclusively South Walton seats.
Johns was among the staunchest advocates for redrawing the districts to provide better representation for South Walton, where approximately half of county residents reside and according to an analysis conducted in 2016 when the area was considering becoming a city, generates 89% of tax revenues coming into the county.
"That is huge," she said. "We've not had that before. We are so excited. District 4 is so excited to be part of everything. We have a voice now," she said. "With Tony Anderson and myself it's going to make a world of difference."
Trey Nick, the incumbent in District 4, was drawn out of his district when his fellow commissioners voted to create the second South Walton seat. He chose not to move, which would have been required for him to seek re-election.
Buchanan, who garnered 37% of the vote to Johns 45% had never run for office before. He operates his own home-building company and campaigned on his understanding of infrastructure needs and meeting the challenges those needs pose for Walton County. He also championed his small business experience and its teaching him critical financial management skills.
Charles Galloway, who pulled down 18% of the vote, was born in Grayton Beach and, prior to running, worked for Walton County. His campaign focused primarily on what he called in one ad, the "toxic negativity" surrounding county government.
Incumbent Commissioner Danny Glidewell will return to his District 2 seat on the county commission. He ran this year unopposed.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Donna Johns wins District 4 seat on Walton County Commission
