In the race for Coroner Bill Cleavenger gained the party nod to face Democrat Pam Kruder in the fall defeating Adam Gray and Ed Barcus.
While the state predicted record turnout to vote, many felt traditional Republicans might vote Democrat to cast a ballot in the presidential race. How that crossover would affect local races was a concern for many candidates.
“This is really an unusual election,” said Republican candidate for State Senate Ed Charbonneau, who ran unopposed for the nomination.
“People are concerned and when I look at the numbers, it doesn’t seem that they are what they normally are. They are dramatically different right now and what that means for the fall... you can’t really draw any conclusions from this.”
These were the thoughts of the winners after the final tally.
County Council — at-Large
Ralph Booker
“It feels good. I’m glad for everybody’s support and I appreciate that they have confidence we can continue to do the job.
“Probably the economy and taxes are going to be the big issue. How do we properly fund county services in the most efficient way? One of the things for the Council is how do we do that with the resources we have. That’s still going to be an issue we struggle with in light of the new property tax assessment.”
Ward Byers
“It’s very humbling. I appreciate the confidence that’s been put in me by the voters. It’s a very humbling experience.
“The issue I think is going to be the economy and property tax reform that’s come out of the state legislature and what that means to local and county governments and how they’re going to have to look at their revenue streams and decide upon how they’re going to fund their necessary services based on the new tax legislation.”
Rex Gilliland
“I’m humbled that the people think we can continue to do the job we’ve done in the past and I look forward to a good campaign in the fall.
“We’re still waiting to see how this whole tax situation with the legislature has washed out. Hopefully we’re going to see how we stand with budget hearings coming up. For the last five years our budget has come down and we’ve tweaked it and tried to maintain the services that people have come to want. Fire trucks and ambulances aren’t cheap. They have to be paid for and we’re just going to try to do what’s right.”
County Commissioners District 2
Tom Chamberlin
“I didn’t know one way or the other during the primary how it was going to go. I was just relying on what I’ve been able to do over the past three and a half years and let the voters decide if that was sufficient.
“We need to continue to pursue cost savings in areas where we can. Cities and towns and county government need to get together and collectively purchase items we use day to day to see if we can get a better cost savings. Be prudent on our spending on road projects and bridge projects. I think the next four years are going to be difficult years for government. We need to be sure we provide all the services we can, be smart about it, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”