As he watched the final votes come in, the smile on the face of Kerry Williams grew a little larger as people began to congratulate Williams.
The political newcomer walked away as the top vote getter in the Republican primary for County Council at-large. Williams finished with 2,327 votes or 24.62 percent.
"It's still kind of sinking in and surreal, I guess. We will see what this is all about. I feel relief that this chapter is closed and we will see if anyone is on the ballot in November," Williams said.
Williams will be joined in November by fellow Republicans Stephanie Campbell and Amanda Brown. Campbell, an incumbent, finished second with 1,937 votes (20.5 percent) and Brown, a newcomer to politics, finished with 1,874 votes (19.83 percent). Chad Colvin finished fourth with 1,696 votes (17.95 percent) and Daryn Clifford finished fifth with 1,617 votes (17.11 percent).
Brown said it "hadn't kicked in yet" that she advanced to November's general election.
"I want to thank everyone for their support and their willingness to make a change in how the county is run," Brown told The Putnam County Post.
For Williams, he said one of his main reasons to run was to keep good employees within the county.