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District 1 of the Chambers County School System has a new board member. Reco Newton won the board seat against opponent Carloyn Danyel Peters.

The results as of 10:34 p.m. ET are 934 votes to Newton and 765 to Peters.

“I’m excited that the city of Valley has spoken and I’m glad they chose me to be the next Chambers County Board of Education for District 1,” Newton said.

Newton, a Valley native, has worked in education for 22 years. He worked at Valley and Lanett High Schools before moving to Loachapoka High School as the head football coach and athletic director there. He currently works at the LC2 in the Lee County School System. 

Peters, also a Valley native, is a law attorney based in the county. She works at Peters Law Firm in Valley. Out of college, she worked as an Assistant District Attorney for Chambers County before moving on to private practice.

“Thank you to the Chambers County community for your support. Even though we came in short, I wish the best for Chambers County schools,” Peters said. 

Now that the race is won, Newton said that the focus will be on getting to work and holding himself accountable.

“I’m ready to go on in and I’m ready to work,” Newton said, “And I’m ready to go in for the people of District 1 that hold me accountable for this job.”

When asked if he had a message for district 1 voters, Newton said, “I want to thank the voters of District 1 for allowing me and letting me know that I was the person they wanted for this job. And I expect them to hold me accountable so I can do the best I can with this job and to represent the District 1.”

“I would like to congratulate Mr. Reco Newton on his win for District 1 school board,” Peters said. “I look forward to seeing many positive changes for the students and community in Chambers County.”

In March, Finch, Newton won the Democratic primary against incumbent Finch, who has been on the board for 18 years. Finch had served as president of the school board for the past several years.