While the usual election sign wars have many candidates up in arms, robo-calls seem to be causing even more concern as many local races heat up in the last weeks before the July 31 primary.

For School Board chair candidate and current School Board Vice Chair Janet Read, a couple of robo-calls that went out to voters have her calling for answers.

The first, which is said to have gone out from a phone number identified as one belonging to Grassroots Conservatives of Cherokee leader Bill Dewrell, told those receiving the call to contact Read at the Cherokee County School District offices.

The latest, though, not only gave Read’s home phone number for those who might want to contact her, but also appeared to originate from Read’s home phone. The call was so inflammatory that Read called for extra patrols at her home.

However, the political signs in Read’s front yard and that of her neighbor were torn down, neighbors said, and thrown in the street where they were run over repeatedly.

The call and whether it is legal to use someone’s telephone number for call identification is still under investigation by authorities, those close to Read’s campaign say.

Read is facing Danny Dukes in the Republican primary race to be the county’s first elected school board chairman under new redistricting plans.

A robo-call which originated out of incumbent state Rep. Charlice Byrd’s (R-Woodstock) campaign, according to her challenger Mike Caldwell, has the 22-year-old Republican speaking out.

Caldwell claims the robo-call says he personally attacked Byrd, but he says that his claims were driven by the issue of Byrd changing her votes on several key issues after they were made on the floor and electronically recorded.

The two have sparred publicly about the issue at debates and through campaign literature, and neither will move off their stand that they are right on how they view the vote changes.

On the sign war front, several candidates have reported signs missing or destroyed, but while it is aggravating, it also happens every election cycle and is just a hazard in the game of politics.

Hopefully candidates can continue to maintain their cool during the rest of the campaign season.

***Early voting kicked off with a bang Monday with 268 people casting ballots at the Cherokee County Elections Office in Canton. Elections supervisor Janet Munda said that was much higher than in the past for the first day voters could visit the polls during the early voting.

Munda puts the heavy turnout, which continued Tuesday and Wednesday, to interest in the local races and to concern about the TSPLOST question on the ballot.

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A meet and greet for State House District 23 candidate Mandi Ballinger will be the held Wednesday at the home of Chuck and Sharron Ware in Canton.

***The Woodstock Lions Club named Rachel Reynolds as “Lion of the Year.” Reynolds has been an active member of the club for three years and involved with many projects, including the first-ever job fair sponsored by the Woodstock Lions Club.

The Woodstock Lions Club meets the second and fourth Tuesday each month at New Victoria Baptist Church in Woodstock.

“Around Cherokee” is compiled by Rebecca Johnston and the editorial staff of the Cherokee Tribune.