2025 Local / Primary Election Voter Guide

UPDATE (5/31/25): A Fulton County Superior Court Judge has issued an injunction staying enforcement of the Georgia Secretary of State’s disqualification of Daniel Blackman from the Public Service Commission primary. Blackman will remain on the ballot pending a hearing scheduled for June 10.

Winterville, Georgia’s local election is the same date as the statewide primary for Public Service Commission — June 17.

In this article, APN’s editor will examine the candidates, providing information and analysis to help you decide who to vote for.

Check out early voting times and locations on the ACC Elections Office website here.

Contents

Republican Primary
Democratic Primary
Winterville Special Election

Republican Primary

Public Service Commission, District 2

Tim Echols, the incumbent Public Service Commissioner who serves the Athens area, is being challenged by Lee Muns, a small businessman with a background in welding. The winner of this primary will face off against Democrat challenger Alicia Johnson in November.

Echols is a socially-conservative but non-MAGA Republican who has served as Public Service Commissioner since 2010. He’s a supporter of both solar power and nuclear energy, including the controversial Plant Vogtle nuclear facility. Plant Vogtle reactors three and four were the first nuclear reactors built in the United States since the Three Mile Island disaster of 1979. Construction began in 2009, but due to long delays and large cost overruns (which caused the bankruptcy of Westinghouse Electric Company in 2017), reactor four didn’t enter commercial operation until 2024.

Despite Westinghouse’s bankruptcy, Echols and other commissioners allowed construction at Plant Vogtle to continue and later passed the bill to Georgia Power customers.

Echols voted to increase bills for Georgia Power customers every year since 2022. While the 2025 rate increase has not yet gone into effect due to a new agreement with Georgia Power, some consumer and environmental advocates believe the rate increase will ultimately happen regardless of the agreement.

Echols is also a big supporter of electric vehicles, putting him in conflict with national Republicans like President Donald Trump.

Lee Muns is a former welder turned business owner who founded Muns Welding and Mechanical, Inc. and Muns Services, LLC. He says he will immediately freeze all rate increases “until we have full transparency and accountability from the utility companies we regulate.” For example, he is pushing for a full review of the cost overruns at Plant Vogtle.

Muns does not have experience in utility regulation or energy policy. He has some political experience, including service on the Columbia County Board of Education and on the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. If elected, Muns says he will not be a “rubber stamp” for Georgia Power and will instead fight for the interests of Georgia consumers and small businesses.

Vote for Tim Echols if you are a Republican who supports nuclear energy, solar power or electric vehicles, which are becoming a big industry in Georgia. You should also support Echols if you want the strongest, most experienced candidate to compete against the Democrats in November and think his votes to raise your power bill are understandable given Georgia Power’s expenses.

Vote for Lee Muns if you are sick and tired of your power bill constantly going up to pay for new infrastructure for Georgia Power, a government-sanctioned monopoly. You should also vote for Muns if you want your Public Service Commissioner to focus on transparency and accountability.

Democratic Primary

Public Service Commission, District 3

Four candidates are competing in the Democratic primary for Public Service Commission in District 3. The winner will face off against incumbent Republican Fitz Johnson in November.

Daniel Blackman ran for Public Service Commissioner in 2020, losing a very close race to incumbent Republican Bubba McDonald. After the election, he served at the Environmental Protection Agency for three years, first as regional administrator for the Southeast and later as the senior advisor for STEM recruitment and diversity, appointed by President Joe Biden.

Blackman promises to stop the rate hikes, promote clean energy and expand broadband internet to rural Georgia. He says that the current commission “has been bought and sold” and promises not to take campaign contributions from utility companies or their executives. He has been endorsed by the Sierra Club, the Working Families Party and Georgia Conservation Voters.

Blackman might seem an obvious choice for Democrats, but he was declared ineligible to run in 2025 by Judge Dominic Capraro, a ruling which was confirmed by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. However, a Fulton County Superior Court Judge issued an injunction staying enforcement of the disqualification. Blackman will remain on the ballot pending a hearing scheduled for June 10.

Democrats have three other options in this race, including Peter Hubbard, an energy policy analyst and the founder of the nonprofit Georgia Center for Energy Solutions. Hubbard has worked in the energy industry for 15 years, mostly for Siemens Energy Business Advisory, a consulting firm. In this role. he prepared integrated resource plans for utility companies, such as the one drafted by Georgia Power and approved by the Public Service Commission every three years.

Hubbard has been speaking out for years against the Georgia Power’s long-term energy plan, saying that the best way to lower rates for consumers is to invest in clean and renewable energy. On his nonprofit’s website, he argues that Georgia Power’s plan “underestimates fossil gas costs, puts roadblocks in front of renewable energy and will further raise power bills on the backs of residential electricity customers in Georgia.”

Robert Jones is another option for Democrats with a regulatory background and strong policy credentials. Jones worked as a regulatory analyst for the California Public Utilities Commission for three years and in the telecommunications industry for 20 years, including at Sprint, Pacific Bell and Qwest Communications where he served as senior vice president for network engineering and construction.

Jones argues that the Public Service Commission is “vastly underperforming.” He says he would focus on limiting the cost of electricity for consumers, making Georgia the nation’s leader in rooftop solar (we’re currently in 35th place) and expanding high-speed internet to rural Georgia.

Jones has never run for public office before and has been mostly self-funding his campaign. In 2022, Hubbard ran for the Georgia House of Representatives in District 90 but was trounced in the Democratic primary, managing only 659 votes out of 11,249. Therefore, both candidates have strong policy credentials but have essentially no political experience and may struggle to win a challenging statewide election.

Keisha Waites is the final Democratic candidate running in this primary. Unlike the other eligible candidates, she has political experience, serving on the Atlanta City Council from 2022 to 2024 and as a Georgia State Representative from 2012 to 2017. If elected, she would be the first openly gay member to serve on the commission.

Waites supports solar power, improving transparency and lowering energy bills, but has not presented a detailed policy platform. Even so, she knows how to run a successful political campaign. That alone might make her the Democrats’ best chance to win after the disqualification of Daniel Blackman.

Vote for Daniel Blackman if you think he is the best suited to win this election, given that he is the only candidate who has run a statewide race before. However, anyone who votes for Blackman should know that he has been disqualified. His appeal is ongoing and will be resolved before election day. Check this page again after June 10 for an update.

Vote for Peter Hubbard if you want a dedicated consumer advocate and energy policy expert in this position and think he’ll be able to run a successful campaign even after his electoral loss in 2022.

Vote for Robert Jones if you want a candidate with a sharp mind and deep knowledge of the telecommunications industry and are willing to take a risk on someone with absolutely no political experience.

Vote for Keisha Waites if you want an experienced campaigner, someone who knows how to get elected, even though she lacks the specialized knowledge in energy and telecommunications that she’ll need in office.

You can listen to Keisha Waites’ interview on Editorial Interchange here.

Winterville Special Election

Winterville City Council

Winterville is having a special election for city council to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Councilperson Tina Mills. APN asked the candidates to submit a short statement about themselves, why they’re running and why they deserve your vote. This is how they responded, in alphabetical order by last name:

Timothy Pierce is a long-time Winterville resident. He started his political career as “police chief” at Winterville Elementary in the 5th grade. While earning his Eagle Scout, Tim began participating in grassroots alliances like the Economic Justice Coalition. Tim currently serves on the Joint Development Authority and previously served on the Winterville City Council and the ACC Overview Commission.

Tim’s primary focus is on increasing communication between elected officials, community members, and community boards in Winterville. Important and interesting things often happen in Winterville, but citizens may not find out until they’re happening or have already passed.

Tim wants to improve city amenities without costing citizens. Like Bruce Johnson’s “100% Winterville” goal of reducing city costs by increasing solar panel use, Tim wants to find ways to make running Winterville cheaper while improving the quality of life for citizens. Redevelopment of the Pittard Park playground, development of an area for dogs and continued improvements to the Firefly Trail are all potential avenues to that end. Tim believes that Winterville’s services must remain top-notch and would continue his previous investment in Police, Fire, and EMS services.

Tim wants to ensure Winterville’s continued fiscal security through measured economic development. Reinvestment in Winterville’s downtown district businesses, continued support for the Marigold Collective’s steps towards independence, and development of the Creative Collective and Winterville Museum are all areas for future wealth generation that won’t impact local tax rates.

If you’d like to find out more or have any questions, please visit tim4winterville.com.

I’ve been a proud resident of Winterville for 51 years and my deep connection to this community is what drives me to run for City Council. I’m passionate about our town—its history, its people, and its potential—and I believe we have an incredible opportunity to continue building a thriving, inclusive, and well-planned future together.

Winterville has given so much to me and I want to give back by helping guide its growth with care and intention. I’m committed to listening to residents, understanding your concerns and working collaboratively to create solutions that serve everyone.

My vision is rooted in preserving what makes Winterville special while embracing smart, sustainable progress. I believe that when we work together, we can make our city even stronger—for ourselves and for generations to come.

I would be honored to serve on City Council and to be a voice for our shared hopes and goals. Let’s bloom together and build a brighter future for Winterville.

I’m not a politician — I’m a neighbor who believes real change starts with listening, showing up and doing the work. For years, I served across Northeast Georgia — at food banks, community gardens, farms, shelters and parks — both behind the scenes and leading the charge.

Recently, I’ve had to step back from more physical service. This shift led me to seek new ways to serve and deepened my understanding of what it’s like to navigate systems that weren’t built with everyone in mind.

I’m grateful I learned young how supportive communities can be — but not before I learned what it’s like to need more than you have. You shouldn’t need a familiar last name or shared beliefs to feel welcome, and no one should walk away without more resources or knowledge than they arrived with.

I’ve seen seeds of that supportive community spirit in Winterville — but it takes intention and trust to help those seeds grow.

I want to see Winterville thrive — not just survive. I believe in transparency and in making the right thing to do the easiest thing to do. We might be a small city, but we can do more to support the big heart of our community: the needs, safety, and belonging of every individual here.

I’m running for Winterville City Council because I believe in cultivating community. I have come ready to listen — with tools and knowledge, not a fixed agenda.

And even if it’s not me, vote for what you believe in. Your voice matters.

The election is on June 17. Check out early voting times and locations on the ACC Elections Office website here.

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