An Effingham County commissioner whose name is on a sign declaring Oliver a speed trap may not be a commissioner much longer.
Jeff Utley’s name is on the sign, which was put up the week before the election, less than three miles inside the Effingham County line on Highway 17.
The sign reads: “BEWARE! You are approaching Oliver, Ga. Don’t get caught in a speed trap. Jeff Utley Effingham Co. Commissioner.”
Unofficial election results from Tuesday’s primary show Utley losing to challenger Steve Mason in the District 3 Republican primary, with Mason collecting 362 votes, or 54 percent, to Utley’s 313 votes, or 46 percent. The totals do not reflect votes from early and absentee voting.
Utley did not return phone calls from the Sylvania Telephone, but he told Morris News Service that his son got a $100 ticket from Oliver police for a window tinting violation and he’s gotten a lot of complaints from constituents who have gotten tickets there.
Utley paid for the sign along with Effingham planning and zoning board member Jasper Lee. They plan to erect a second, similar sign along Oliver-Kildare Road. Lee said he got a $375 speeding ticket in Oliver.
Oliver Police Chief Pat Kile said his department writes fewer than one ticket per day per officer and their presence along the roadside shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
“We don’t hide,” Kile said. “We always sit in the same spot. I can’t help it if he’s an idiot.”