2006 elections will bring changes for county

Regardless of what happens during the May Primary and the November General Election, one thing is certain. Whitley County will have a lot of fresh faces in governments offices next year, including: a new judge executive, at least two new magistrates, a new Corbin mayor, a new county clerk, at least one new Corbin city commissioner, and two new Williamsburg city council members.
At the close of the filing deadline at 4 p.m. Tuesday, 114 candidates had filed to run for office in the Whitley County Clerk’s office, including 14 candidates that filed on the last day. This is in addition to filings with the Secretary of State’s office.

Judge-Executive
Leroy Gilbert, who served one term as judge-executive as a Democrat, is vying for the Republican nomination this time around in the race, and is squaring off in the May primary against former Whitley County football coach Mike Campbell, and local businessman Pat White Jr. of Williamsburg, and former car lot owner Robert Bob Mauney of Pleasant View, who have filed in the last week.
The winner will take on former Corbin Economic Development Director Bob Terrell of Corbin, who filed Tuesday afternoon seeking the Democratic nomination.

First District
In the first magisterial district, there will be a four-way race for the Democratic nomination. Kenneth Bargo joined the race last week along with Richard D. Rose, Lloyd M. Chandler and Travis Wilson in the Democratic primary.
The Republican ticket picked up a number of candidates over the last week.
Francis Blackhawk and Edward J. Haar filed Tuesday, joining Larry “Cush” Davidson, Jimmy Dobson, and Ralph Stanley who all filed Friday.
Jerry Bunch, Doug Rains, Roger Wells, Larry Taylor, and Roger Keith are also on the ballot. Roy L. Croley, who filed Nov. 10, seeking the Republican nomination has withdrawn. Nolan Bird currently serves as first district magistrate, and didn’t file for re-election.
Lonnie Foley is the only candidate seeking the first district constable job.

Second District
Incumbent Second District Magistrate James David Myers, who was appointed to the job in December, filed for office Tuesday, as did Bobby Hendrickson Sr. They join Elmer Carpenter, Brad Ingle, Ron Woody, John W. Hash, and James W. Harris in the Republican primary.
Duane K. Barton is the only Democratic candidate for second district magistrate.
The second district constable race includes Gary K. Elliott, Robert Eaton, and Ken Owens, all seeking the Republican nomination.

Third District
Incumbent Third District Magistrate Johnny Lawson filed papers Jan. 5 seeking re-election, and will face opposition in the Democratic primary from Denver Lake, who filed Tuesday.
The Republican primary is a bit more crowded. Ralph Stanley filed seeking the nomination Friday, and will square off against former magistrate J.L. Cooper, Joe Moses George Davis, and Ruby Adkins for the Republican nomination for third district magistrate.
The third district constable race has a total of 11 candidates with Randall Caddell, Floyd Shelton, and Darrell Griffith joining the race seeking the Republican nomination in the last week. Also on the ballot in the race are Ronnie Huddleston George F. Leach, Ricky Moses, Jack Hayes, Ted Leach, Jim Thornton, Daniel “Danny” Whitehead, and James Angel.

Fourth District
Gary Lovitt and R.L. McCullah entered the 11-person race for fourth-district magistrate over the last seven days, and join T.O. Elliott, Mike Baird, Don E. Wilson, Ron Hensley, Edward Petrey, Darren L. Smith, Ronnie Tharpe, and Rick Hayes in the Republican primary.
There are no Democrats in the race.
Steve Haynes and Michael Whitehead filed last week for the Republican nomination for fourth district constable. Also in the race are Charles Perkins and David Parker.

Rematches
The May Primary will feature a rematch on one of Whitley County’s closest elections ever as Circuit Court Clerk Gary Barton squares off against former deputy clerk Linda Chinn Schutz, who came within two votes of beating her former boss six years ago.
In the November General Election, Division Two District Judge Dan Ballou will square off against the woman he beat for the job four years ago by 17 votes, Kimberly Frost Wilson, who served as district judge for two terms.
Initially, it appeared that Wilson had won the two-county race by two votes, but McCreary County officials later discovered a voting machine where the results hadn’t been tabulated that gave Ballou the edge in the race.
82nd District State Representative Charlie Siler will face opposition in the May Primary from first time challenger Dewayne Bunch of Williamsburg, who filed Tuesday, Ron Harmon of Woodbine, and James Larry Goins, who has unsuccessfully challenged Siler in each of the last two primary elections for state representative.

State Senate
16th District State Senator David Williams, R-Burksville, will face opposition in the Republican May primary from Williamsburg resident Oline Carmical Jr. and Bob Devore Jr. of Strunk. The winner will take on Democrat Doug Shelton of Pine Knot in November’s General Election. Shelton is unopposed in the primary.

Other county races
The jailer’s race, which was already crowded, became even more so over the last seven days as three more Republicans and another Democrat joined the race.
Among the recent Republican filings are two female candidates, Mary Louise Terry, who filed Jan. 27, and Glenda G. Taylor, who filed Tuesday. Mike Johnson filed Monday seeking the Republican nomination as did Arnold Eugene Young, who is seeking the Democratic nomination.
Terry and Johnson will square off against incumbent Ken Mobley, Williamsburg Fire Chief James Privett, Constable Will Leach, Fourth-District Magistrate Wayne Wilson, former chief deputy jailer Greg Petrey, Larry R. Patrick, Les Moses, and Bo Martin in the Republican primary.
Young will challenge former Williamsburg Police Officer and current sheriff’s bailiff Troy Sharpe in the Democratic primary.
Incumbent Division Two Circuit Judge Paul Braden will square off against former circuit judge Emby McKeehan in the November General Election.
Sheriff Lawrence Hodge will face opposition in the Republican primary from former sheriff H.D. Moses and Evelyn McCullah, a long time employee in the county attorney’s office. Moses, who served 18 years as sheriff, retired in 1999.
The winner will take on Onnie O. Meadors, who filed Tuesday seeking the Democratic nomination, and is unopposed in the primary. Meadors unsuccessfully challenged Hodge in the November General Election four years ago.
Ronnie Faulkner, who ran unsuccessfully for county clerk as a Democrat in 1998, will try again, but this time as a Republican. In the Republican primary, he will square off against Kay Smith Schwartz, a long time deputy clerk, who is attempting her first run at public office, and Mark C. Lawson of Corbin, who filed Tuesday afternoon.

City of Corbin
Incumbent Mayor Amos Miller and City Commissioner Alan Onkst didn’t file for office.
Corbin voters will be choosing between Willard McBurney, Truman Perry, and Randy Smith, who filed Tuesday, for mayor.
Incumbents Bruce Farris, Phil Gregory, and Joe Shelton face opposition from former city commissioner Edward H. Tye, and former Corbin police officer Bronson Fugate. Recent additions to the race include Trae Pennington, who filed Monday, and Janet Hagan and Dennis Lynch, who filed Tuesday morning.

City of Williamsburg
Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison picked up opposition Monday from Karen Hamblin.
Current Williamsburg City Councilmen Paul Estes and Joe Early opted not to seek re-election meaning that there will be at least two new city council members next year, and possibly as many as four new city council members.
Incumbents Laurel Jeffries West, who was the leading vote-getter among city council candidates two years ago, Chet Riley, Richard W. Foley, and Donnie R. Witt, are facing opposition from former council member J.L. Hamblin, Erica Harris, and Alfred R. Bunch and Mary Ann Stanfill, both of whom have filed in the last week. Crayton Brush Ellison and Keith Brashear joined the race Tuesday. The Williamsburg City Council is composed of six members.

Unopposed
County officials, who are unopposed in their re-election efforts include: PVA Ronnie Moses, Coroner Andy Croley, Whitley County Attorney Paul K. Winchester, Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble, Division One District Judge Cathy Prewitt, Division One Circuit Judge Jerry Winchester, and Whitley County Surveyor Robert Moses.