GAINESVILLE - Incumbent Hall County School Board member Brian Sloan will return to office based on results of a tight runoff election Tuesday.<br />
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Sloan won the race by exactly 100 votes over challenger and political newcomer Mark Pettitt, according to numbers from the Hall County Elections Office.<br />
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Vote totals show Sloan garnered 5283 votes (50.48%%), while 5183 voters (49.52%)cast ballots for Pettitt.<br />
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Sloan said he was not surprised that the vote was so close.<br />
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"I kind of expected it [the margin] to be slim because of the school board budget vote that I made that was controversial," said Sloan. "But I felt so strongly about that that I wouldn't take that back."<br />
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Sloan said he knew he was bucking the local Republican Party by voting for a budget that will mean a tax increase for some Hall County property owners, even with a millage rate rollback.<br />
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"You know, some want us to roll it [the millage rate] back until it is absolutely revenue neutral and that was not wise for Hall County Schools, and in the long run it was not wise for Hall County," said Sloan.<br />
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Sloan said he and the other board members have a good working relationship and he's looking forward to continuing work on making the system schools either charter schools and schools of choice. Plus, he said he wants to continue to ensure the most up-to-date safety measures are in place for the school system.<br />
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Sloan represents District 2 on the board.<br />
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