Short and sweet this afternoon at Pioneer Rural Water

Newcomers Al Hunt Jr. and Ronnie Williams emerged this afternoon as the nominees to fill what now is a vacant seat on the board of Pioneer Rural Water.  As the only two people to be nominated for the District Two seat, Hunt and Williams were automatically nominated for the seat that had been held by Tommy Grant.  Though eligible to be re-elected, Grant has withdrawn from the process.  He gives way to two men who have identical positions on the controversy surrounding the Oconee-Anderson retail water supplier.  Both Hunt and Williams favor building the treatment plant, which remains under court challenge, pending a trial in late August.  According to Terry Pruitt, general manager, Hunt and Williams will meet in a winner take-all election September 19—-three weeks after the civil court trial.  Cars and trucks overflowed the Pioneer headquarters parking lot in Oakway, and both nominees appeared to have their District Two supporters ready for a vote this afternoon.  But Pruitt announced that because only two people were nominated, they would advance directly to the September election in which all Pioneer customers, regardless of where they live, may vote.  At an earlier nomination meeting that proved in-conclusive, Williams, Tommy Grant, and Kevin Ramey were nominated.  Ramey’s name, however, was not placed into nomination this afternoon.