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ZEBULON - This is a four year seat that is currently held by Scott Ballard who has announced that his last year of service as District Attorney will be 2016 so that he can run against current Superior Court Judge Tommy Hankinson. Ben Coker, Cindy Manning, and Rudjard M. Hayes ran for this office in the May 24, 2016 election.
Ben Coker and Rudjard Hayes are in the July 26, 2016 Runoff that will determine who goes into office.
Ben Coker
Longtime prosecutor Ben Coker officially announced that he will be a candidate for District Attorney of the Griffin Judicial Circuit which is composed of Fayette, Spalding, Upson and Pike counties. The seat will be vacant since District Attorney Scott Ballard has announced that he will run for Superior Court Judge.
“I am running because I want to continue to improve communication and transparency in our office of District Attorney,” said Coker. “Scott Ballard has done a good job representing the people, and I want to build upon his work.”
“In an era where Americans all over the country are questioning the character of those who are running our government, we deserve a District Attorney we can trust to do the right thing when confronted with tough choices,” said Coker, a Republican.
“We deserve transparency and honest communication,” said Coker. “As our next District Attorney I will be accessible to the public, to the victims, and to the accused. I will rely on my more than 10 years of experience as a prosecutor to keep our community safe, to keep criminals behind bars, and to keep an open communication with the public.”
Ben is a lifelong member of our community. As an Assistant District Attorney for more than 10 years, he has prosecuted all types of crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. Prior to serving as an Assistant District Attorney, Ben was in private practice as a civil and defense attorney.
Coker is a proud graduate from the University of Georgia, earning his Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management and Insurance. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Georgia State University. Ben and his wife, Christy, have four children. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Ben's website is www.cokerforda.com.
Rudjard M. Hayes
Rudjard M. Hayes, managing partner at Sanchez Hayes & Associates LLC in Tyrone, Ga., announced this week that he is running as a Republican candidate for District Attorney in the Griffin Judicial Circuit, which includes Fayette, Spalding, Pike and Upson Counties.
Hayes has worked as a Trial Attorney in Fayette County and Georgia for more than 20 years. He has over 10 years’ experience as an assistant district attorney in both Coweta and Griffin Judicial Circuits, where he successfully tried hundreds of felony cases between 1996 and 2007. Hayes also served as a law enforcement instructor on such issues as search and seizure, crimes against children and sex crimes. Since 2007, he has been the managing partner at Sanchez Hayes & Associates in Tyrone, where he currently tries cases in both state and federal courts.
Hayes decided to jump into the Republican Primary race because “I feel the voters deserve more experienced leadership in their District Attorney,” says Hayes. “With over 20 years’ experience in both state and federal courtrooms, I feel I can bring a different level of knowledge and expertise to the office. As the next District Attorney, I will work with law enforcement agencies to aggressively prosecute violent criminals while at the same time compassionately ensuring victims receive the justice they deserve.”
In addition to his professional work, Hayes has been a highly-involved community mentor for area youth. He coached the Peachtree City Packers and Peachtree City Lazers, mentored kids at the Boys and Girls Club of America, and volunteered at the Shepherd Spinal Clinic in Atlanta. He also launched mock trial programs at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School in Fayetteville; at Georgia State University, College of Law in Atlanta; and at Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law in Macon. In 2008, Hayes won the Annual Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service, which is sponsored by the Georgia Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism.
In 2015, Hayes created The Sanchez Hayes & Associates Community Service Scholarship, which awards five $500 college scholarship to Fayette County high school seniors who demonstrate exceptional service leadership through participation in community service activities.
Hayes, a graduate of Georgia State University, College of Law in Atlanta, resides in Tyrone with his wife, an attorney, and daughter, who attends high school in Fayette County. His son is in graduate school at Emory University in Atlanta.
You can learn more about Rudjard Hayes and his campaign at www.HayesforDA.com.