Incumbents stay on the job
|
Taking 74 percent of the vote over his three opponents, the win was nearly exactly the same margin he won re-election by in 1998 when he defeated Everett Pearsall with 75 percent of the vote. Matheny won his first term in office by winning the Democratic Primary in 1994 with 64 percent of the vote over three opponents. He has never lost a precinct in the three elections in which he has run.
His old rival, Pearsall, who is a former multi-term sheriff in Warren County, finished second Thursday with 11 percent, or 1,111 votes. Doc Smith, a former deputy under both Sheriff Matheny and former Sheriff Mason Black, took third with 9 percent or 959 votes. Mason Black, who served as sheriff from 1989-94, entered the race late and was a write-in candidate. He pulled 6 percent or 712 votes.
“I’m so humbled,” Matheny said following his win. “We’ve worked hard for eight years and we’ll work ourselves to death to make this a better place to live.”
Matheny said he has fought a dedicated war against drugs, which he said has a direct impact on the crime rate since drugs and other crimes go hand-in-hand.
“When I took office, we had 57 in the jail. Now we have 209.” Matheny said. “When you attack the drug problem, the overall crime rate goes down.”
Matheny said he will continue to work hard over the next four years, noting if he does not get the job done, he knows the voters will be waiting in 2006.
“If we don’t produce in these next four years, then we need a new sheriff,” Matheny said.
In other local election races, Trustee Joy Slatton, who survived a scare in the Democratic Primary this May against Darlene Bryant where she won by 122 votes, had a more comfortable margin over independent Emily Panter Thursday evening.
Slatton won with 59 percent, pulling 6,103 votes to Panter’s 41 percent, or 4,174 votes. Slatton has served 24 years as trustee.
“I appreciate the people’s trust in me,” Slatton said. “Emily and Darlene both worked hard and ran good clean races and they deserve to be commended.”
Register of Deeds Terry Smith won his second term in office, defeating former library director Susan Curtis by a three-to-one margin. Smith pulled 7,693 votes to Curtis’ 2,479 votes, to win by a margin of 76 to 24 percent.
The win was Smith’s second hurdle to re-election as he carried 65 percent of the vote in the May primary when defeated Randy England. He won his first term in 1998, defeating a large field of competitors by the two-to-one margin.
“I think I’ve done everybody a good job and I appreciate their confidence in me,” Smith said on his re-election.
In the only contested school board race, Mike Holland defeated Billy Medley in the 5th District by a count of 892 to 787. Larry Judkins in the 3rd District and Deborah Watlington in the 1st District faced no opposition.
Circuit Court Clerk Bernie Morris and Road Superintendent Harold Glenn also faced no opposition for re-election. County Court Clerk David Smartt defeated his only opponent, Jeff McGee, in the Democratic Primary.
In contested constable races, Billy T. Wanamaker pulled 309 votes in the 1st District to defeat Tommy Adams with 230 votes and Bradley Ryan Hobbs with 151. In the 5th District, Jim Cunningham pulled 373 votes to defeat Robert E. Morton with 253 votes. In the 9th District, Louis Battles had 621 votes to Tony Pawlowski’s 109. In the 11th District, John T. Hayes defeated Don Leatherwood by a vote of 542 to 172. The remainder of the constable races were unopposed.
In neighboring Van Buren County, Sheriff Donnie Evans won re-election as sheriff. Incumbent county executive Kelly Dishman was defeated by Carolyn Houston. Tammy Hillis Clendenon won the trustee’s job while Teresa Delong retained the circuit court clerk’s spot. Linda Pettit won county clerk, Linda D. Simmons won register of deeds and Windell Wheeler won superintendent of roads.