Bryant new trustee, other offices unchanged
Incumbents had a great day at the polls for the most part, two winning their fourth terms, one winning a third, all by comfortable margins.
Meanwhile, a dedicated politician, rebuffed on her first two entries into politics, finally hit paydirt on her third try, succeeding retiring Trustee Joy Slatton, an office she held for over 30 years.
Darlene Reagan Bryant will be the first person to fill the trustee?s seat other than Slatton for more than two decades. Bryant culminated her long election season by topping independent Kim Broom by a count of 5,151 to 3,886.
Her win came after she earned the Democratic nomination in May, carrying 32 percent of the vote in topping trustee employees Anita Nunley and Donna Pelham and County Commissioner David Vandagriff.
The race was her third in consecutive elections as she lost by just 122 votes in 2002 to Slatton. She was a distant third in 1998 when she ran against Terry Smith for Register of Deeds.
?I think having my name out there already from my past candidacies really helped this time,? Bryant said, noting she was physically exhausted from the stretch run.
Bryant noted she will does not plan to ?clean house? when she takes office, saying she is looking forward to meeting the employees of the office she will now fill.
Meanwhile, Terry Smith marched in impressive fashion to his third term as Register of Deeds, beating independent Ronald Lorance by a count of 7,603 to 1,545.
The former barber is yet to be closely challenged in an election as he first won office in 1998 by a 2-to-1 margin and then waltzed his way to a second term by a 3-to-1 margin in 2002. Smith pointed out he has not had an easy road politically over the years as he has always had an opponent.
Sheriff Jackie Matheny made it four in a row by defeating his former deputy Doc Smith by a count of 7,446 to 2,036. The number was an improvement on Smith?s last showing in 2002 when he pulled 951 votes, coming in third in a four-way race.
Meanwhile, the Matheny machine, fresh of a win in the primary over former Sheriff Kenny Taylor, is still yet to be closely challenged with Taylor coming the closest ever in May when he pulled 36 percent of the vote, costing Matheny the only three precincts he has ever lost.
?I?ve very honored and thankful the people again put their trust in me,? Matheny said. ?Mine is a job where you make people mad by just doing your job.?
Road Superintendent Harold Glenn also joins Matheny in a fourth term, defeating independent challenger Vernice Dunlap by a count of 6,681 to 2,850.
?We want to see every road paved,? Glenn said, noting there is only about three miles of gravel road yet to be paved, something he plans to do this term.