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By JOYANNA LOVE | Managing Editor

Corey Clements was elected the next superintendent of Chilton County Schools with 9,616 votes (84% of the votes) on Nov. 8.

Ron Pinson, who was running against Clements as an independent, received 1,883 votes.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve more students,” Clements said.

He said he is ready to move beyond the election.

Clements will take office in January.

During a forum in the campaign, Clements emphasized that he has always worked to improve Thorsby, both the school and the city, and has been successful in getting community support for projects at the school. He said community support needs to be embraced throughout the school system to save money on improvements.

He also said that the superintendent needs to be an advocate for teachers.

Clements said he plans to meet on a regular basis with industry leaders to discuss employment opportunities, set up monthly field trips for the career prep classes and become a part of an Alabama Works partnership. He said he is committed to completing the Alabama Works training required to make a partnership possible. Similar partnerships in Tuscaloosa and Montgomery have created established opportunities that connect directly to jobs in the community.

Clements said the school system should create a group focused on leading the school system to a 2.5-point increase on the state report card each year. He said chronic absenteeism needs to be decreased and workforce readiness needs to be increased, emphasizing that “shared leadership with our principals” would be key to accomplishing this.

In the race for governor, Chilton County resoundingly voted for Kay Ivey. She received 10,537 votes (86.29%). Statewide Ivey won with 66.9% of the votes. Will Ainsworth was elected Lieutenant Governor with 83.6% of the votes.

Van Smith received the most votes in Chilton County for state representative for District 42 with 9,389 (93%) against Libertarian candidate Doug Ward (675 votes). Smith won the state election with 92.7% of the votes.

In the national races, Kate Britt received the most votes in Chilton County for U.S. Senator, and went on to win the election in the state. Mike Rogers received the most for U.S Representative for the Third Congressional District. He won the state election with 71.2% of the votes. Gary Palmer received the most votes for U.S Representative for the Sixth Congressional District. Palmer won his election with 83.7% of the votes statewide.

On the amendments to the state Constitution, the majority of Chilton County voters were in favor of each of them, except Amendment 6. Amendment 6 was to “to levy and collect the ad valorem tax pursuant to Amendment No. 8 for the purpose of paying bonds and the interest thereon, and may also levy and collect such ad valorem tax and utilize such funds for capital improvements on a pay-as-you-go basis at a rate not exceeding the rate then lawfully permitted for the municipality to directly pay the costs of public capital improvements, as well as to pay the principal and interest on bonds, warrants, or other securities issued to finance or refinance the costs of the improvements; and to ratify, validate, and confirm the levy and collection of such tax levied and collected for any of these purposes prior to the ratification of this amendment.”