Incumbents won two contested races in Grundy County while a law enforcement sales tax went down to defeat for a second time during Tuesday?s General Election.
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Incumbents won two contested races in Grundy County while a law enforcement sales tax went down to defeat for a second time during Tuesday?s General Election.
Republican Kenny Roberts won a second term as presiding county commissioner, taking a 2,054-1,802 win over Democrat Jack Derry. Roberts and Derry captured eight precincts apiece with Roberts winning the absentee count. Roberts? got his strongest support in the city?s first, third and fourth wards and Liberty Township, while Derry captured the second ward and got a big win in Madison Township. Roberts also won in Franklin, Jefferson, Myers and Wilson townships. Derry also received the majority of votes in Harrison, Jackson, Lincoln, Marion, Taylor and Washington townships.
The one-half cent sales tax for a new law enforcement center went down to defeat, 1,834-1,973. The first, second and fourth wards, along with Jackson Township and the absentees, supported the measure while the proposal went down to defeat in Franklin, Harrison, Jefferson, Liberty, Lincoln, Madison, Myers, Taylor, Washington and Wilson townships. The vote was tied in the third ward and Marion Township.
?We are extremely disappointed that the jail issue didn?t pass and that is something we will have to look at down the road,? Roberts said. ?We?ll have to take a look at the budget and see where we?re at before making any decisions as to what to do.?
Roberts noted that he, along with members of the Law Enforcement Committee, are concerned about the safety of the community, in particular employees of the sheriff?s office as well as county residents.
?If we don?t do something, either fix it up or close it, and someone would get hurt, I?m not sure I could live with that,? he said.
Roberts noted that with the defeat of the jail tax issue, the county?s Community Development Block Grant is now gone as well. The county was to have received $250,000 from the state, which would have been used to purchase the land on which the facility was to be placed as well as cleanup of the property.
Grundy County voters followed the trend of the rest of the Third District State Representative?s race by favoring Democrat Jim Whorton of Trenton for re-election to a full two-year term. Whorton defeated Republican Roscoe Moulthrop of Princeton in Grundy County, 2,615-1,217. The vote total in the seven counties included in the Third District was 7,279 for Whorton and 5,891 for Moulthrop. Whorton won Grundy, Daviess, Sullivan, Worth and Gentry counties while Moulthrop won Mercer and Harrison counties.
A total of 3,931 persons cast ballots on Tuesday, along with five provisional ballots, which represents 63 percent of registered voters.
In uncontested races in Grundy County, 12th District State Sen. David Klindt won support locally for re-election with 3,195 votes. Circuit Clerk and Recorder Beatrice Shaw received 3,230 votes while County Clerk Kristi Urich received 3,125. Associate Circuit Judge Steve Hudson received 3,104 votes and Prosecuting Attorney Chris Raynes received 3,044 votes.
In statewide races, Grundy County voters chose Republican Jim Talent over Democrat Jean Carnahan, 2,111-1,647, which mirrored the statewide outcome. Libertarian Tamara Millay received 90 votes and Green Party candidate Daniel Romano received 17.
In the state auditor?s race, Democrat Claire McCaskill received 2,018 votes while Republican Al Hanson received 1,497. Libertarian Arnold Trembley received 107 votes and Fred Kennell, the Green Party Candidate, got 39 votes.
Grundy County voters supported Constitutional Amendment No. 1, 1,914-1,661, and Constitution-al Amendment No. 4, 1,744-1,708. Going down to defeat in Grundy County was Constitution-al Amendment No. 2, 1,398-2,224; Constitutional Amendment No. 3, 1,638-1,853; the Constitutional Convention, 813-2,759; and Proposition A, 1,519-2,284.
In Mercer County, voters chose to retain Associate Circuit Court Judge Brad Funk, a Democrat, who defeated Jay Hemenway, 1,038-495. Hemenway is the current Mercer County prosecutor.
Daviess County voters re-elected Democrat David Tolen as presiding county commissioner. Tolen defeated Richard Dustman, 1,780-1,218. Also re-elected was Democrat Daren Adkins as associate circuit judge, defeating challenger Mike Arnold, 1,663-1,203. Incumbent Linda Adkins, a Democrat, defeated Judy Vyrostek for county clerk, 1,737-1,284. Georgia Maxwell, a Democrat, was elected as recorder of deeds over Belinda Cameron, 1,814-1,159.
Seventh District State Rep. John Quinn, R-Chillicothe, won re-election to a second term by defeating Libertarian candidate Jeff Foli, 3,254-745. Independent Rene Mulkey collected 11 votes.