Familiar faces win local races

By TONY FYFFE

BSN Editor

LOUISA — Familiar faces won the handful of local contested races that were on the ballot last Tuesday in Lawrence, Johnson and Martin counties, according to unofficial results.

In Lawrence County, Judge-Executive Phillip Carter, a Republican, easily won re-election over Democrat William Spradlin. Carter received 3,243 votes to Spradlin’s 858.

Republican District 1 Magistrate Michael “Mouse” Halcomb also won his re-election bid, getting 710 votes to Democrat Terry Webb’s 417.

Another Republican incumbent, District 3 Constable Jeff McCarty, sailed to another term, defeating write-in candidate Jimmy Lee Daniels 725 votes to six votes.

Incumbents were also successful in city races in Louisa, with Mayor Harold Slone winning re-election and four council members keeping their seats.

In the mayor’s race, Slone polled 389 votes to James Allen Pauley-Barker’s 150 and William Marcum’s 46.

Rose Lester was the top vote getter in the six-seat city council race with 380, followed by incumbents Tom Parsons with 373 and Joey McClanahan with 318. Incumbent Ashley Caudill and newcomer Caleb Farley were next with 294 votes each, followed by incumbent Gary Robertson with 264.

Incumbents Lisa Schaeffer and Matt Brown lost their re-election bids, receiving 238 votes each.

In the only county contested race on the ballot in Johnson County, District 2 Constable Bruce Ritz, a Democrat, was defeated by Republican Ronnie Butcher. Butcher received 1,177 votes to 435 for Ritz.

In Paintsville, Mayor Bill Mike Runyon was elected to another term, getting 456 votes to Ann Ratliff’s 310 and Rick Preston’s 299.

In the six-seat Paintsville City Council race, newcomer Ashley McKenzie received the most votes with 629, followed by incumbents David VanHoose with 606 and Roger “Bo” Belcher with 600, Mike Conley with 566, Kimberly Osborne-O’Bryan with 558 and incumbent Tim Hall with 508.

In Martin County, Judge-Executive Lon Lafferty received the most votes in a race that included all write-in candidates following the resignation of former officeholder Colby Kirk, whose name was removed from the ballot.

Lafferty, who previously served one term as judge-executive, polled 1,311 votes to 593 for Marlena Slone, the wife of the late Judge-Executive Victor Slone; 162 for Benjamin York; and four for Mitchell Crum.

Sheriff John Herman Kirk, a Republican, was easily re-elected, getting 2,298 votes to write-in candidate Mid Harmon’s 42.

Republican Bill Preece won the jailer’s race over Democrat Jason Jude, receiving 2,380 votes to Jude’s 191.

In the Inez mayor’s race, incumbent Ed Daniels defeated current city commission member Dennis Hall 92-68.

In the only contested judicial race on last Tuesday’s ballot, former District Judge Kevin Holbrook beat Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Matt Runyon to become the next judge of the 24th Judicial Circuit.

Holbrook tallied 5,811 votes to Runyon’s 4,283 in the three-county race.

Holbrook carried Lawrence and Johnson counties, while Runyon won Martin County.

Holbrook received 1,624 votes to Runyon’s 1,305 in Lawrence County and 3,120 votes to Runyon’s 1,847 in Johnson County.

In Martin County, Runyon got 1,131 votes to Holbrook’s 1,067.