I personally think the office needs to be run in a professional manner and needs a published address and phone number. A qualified person will be able to resist the influence of others and endorsements will not be determinative to me.

AVOC

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July 30, 2008

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Oconee Coroner Run-Off attracting much attention and controversy

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By Wendell Dawson, Editor, AVOC, Inc

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The Oconee Republican Primary Runoff on August 5, 2008, has had more media attention and activity than I ever remember for the Coroner position.   The office of coroner has been replaced in many jurisdictions with Medical Examiners and the position is not elected in many jurisdictions.   It is still an elected position in most of Georgia’s smaller and more rural counties.

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In the past, educational background did not have much emphasis.  Oconee has had physicians as Coroners for the past 20 years.  Some have thought that doctors were more qualified.   As we become larger and society is more complex, some think the office should require some qualifications because of its function with unattended deaths. Television has made the general public more aware of the work of Medical Examiners, Forensic Investigation etc.

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If a person dies violently, or under questionable circumstances and not attended by a medical doctor, then the coroner is called.   The coroner then signs the death certificate and shows a cause of death.

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As County Attorney in the 70’s, I defended the Oconee Coroner in a Civil Suit to try to set aside his ruling of suicide in a death.  The family was apparently having difficulty in a claim for life insurance.   If the cause of death had been ruled accidental, then a sizable insurance payment would have occurred.  The court ruled that the Coroner’s determination was not appealable.   The issue of cause of death could have been litigated on the facts but the coroner’s determination would be of record.

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I have known cases when a death certificate was not available for several weeks and delayed life insurance claims for next of kin.  The Coroner does not have an official mailing address or phone number and that is not a good thing in today’s world.   While the Coroner has control of the records, the County should provide funding for file cabinets, a desk and a listed phone number along with other contact information.   Citizens should know where to go to get information.

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The candidates in the Run-Off have supporters and critics.   Some of the comments I have heard are:

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• Quillian-Carr is not a medical doctor…. However, she is a Doctor of Osteopathy and is licensed and maintains a professional office at Butler’s Crossing in Oconee County;

• Ed Carson has had management and attitude criticism…. Ed Carson has served as Deputy Coroner for 10 years and in recent years has exercised much of the powers of the office;

• Quillian-Carr has some of her political signs on Tom Little connected properties and has been endorsed by Sheriff Scott Berry….. and some say that will cause them to vote against her because of their “baggage”.  Others say she is the most qualified and it doesn’t matter if the Sheriff and Development Community supports her;

• The incumbent coroner, Dr. John Simpson, recently fired Mr. Carson and that caused some sympathy support for Carson.Others say Carson should have been fired.

Both candidates have endorsements and wide support.    Carson was involved with the volunteer fire department and Emergency Services in Oconee for many years.   Many from those departments seem to be supporting him if signs are any indication.  Some from the business and professional communities seem to be supporting Quillian-Carr who received the highest vote on July 15.

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I personally think the office needs to be run in a professional manner and needs a published address and phone number.    A qualified person will be able to resist the influence of others and endorsements will not be determinative to me.

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One can learn more about the races in articles in the Athens Banner-Herald articles noted below.   COMMENTS at the end of both articles can provide more information on the controversy that has arisen.

For Information on coroner candidates, see:

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The Athens Banner-Herald

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/070908/oconee_2008070900188.shtml

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July 9, 2008

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Current, ex-coroners want top job

Quillian-Carr endorsed by of current leader

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By Adam Thompson

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Candidates for coroner

Ed Carson

Age: 45; Job: EMT; Experience: 10 years as deputy coroner.

Cathleen Quillian-Carr

Age: 43; Job: Doctor, family practice; Experience: Deputy coroner since 2007.

Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 070908

7-25-08 Oconee Coroner race heats up

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The Athens Banner-Herald

http://onlineathens.com/stories/072508/election_2008072501176.shtml

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July 25, 2008

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Oconee coroner runoff heats up

Both candidates get endorsements

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By Adam Thompson

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Two candidates for Oconee County coroner are soldiering on to an Aug. 5 runoff with new endorsements this week, as the unusually contentious down-ticket race draws to a close.

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Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry on Thursday threw his support behind Watkinsville family doctor Cathleen Quillian-Carr, while former coroner Bill Mayberry - who came in third in last week's Republican primary - has endorsed former deputy coroner Ed Carson for the post.

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Quillian-Carr, currently one of the county's deputy coroners, and Berry appeared together this week in a large newspaper advertisement.

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"I've worked with (Quillian-Carr) and find her competent, compassionate and dedicated to the office of Coroner," Berry says in the ad. "On Aug. 5, Dr. Quillian-Carr will receive my support and vote."

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Mayberry, meanwhile, has said he's backing Carson because of Carson's 10 years as deputy coroner.

Mayberry also said he couldn't support Quillian-Carr because of the actions of current Coroner John Simpson, who endorsed Quillian-Carr and then fired Carson as his deputy about a month before the primary.

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In the July 15 primary, Quillian-Carr won 46 percent of the vote to Carson's 36 percent. Mayberry's 1,090 votes would more than make up the difference between the two top vote-getters.

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But turnout in the primary already was low, and the runoff likely will draw even fewer residents to the polls. The coroner race is the only local election on the Aug. 5 Republican ballot in Oconee.

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Both Carson and Quillian-Carr said they expected the election to go to a runoff because voters had three choices and it was unlikely that any candidate would pass the 50 percent mark necessary for a clear win.

They didn't expect the unusually harsh tenor of the campaign, however, they said.

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Much of the controversy has involved Simpson, who has said he's defending his 15-year tenure as coroner from statements by Carson and Mayberry, but there has been sniping from both sides.

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When Simpson fired Carson on June 18, he said it was because Carson had clashed with county employees in the past and was claiming during the campaign he was "practically running the coroner's office."

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"I didn't expect it to be pretty," Carson said of the campaign. "I didn't expect it to be quite like this."

Quillian-Carr, who said Simpson made his decisions independently of her, agreed that the race has gotten off-track.

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"It's gotten a whole lot more contentious than it ever should have gotten," she said. "It should have really been a friendly race ... but there have been a lot of personal feelings that have been injected into it."