Nine candidates seeking the six seats on the Auburn City Council and two men running for mayor of Lewisburg have added additional contested races to the November General Election ballot.
Rex Evans, Shane Johnson, Norma Kutzman, Steve Montgomery and Bobby Price were elected to the council in the last general election in 2012, and are running for reelection. The other candidates are Barry Bilyeu, Thelma Cottrell, Peggy Moody and Randy Rust. The late Jessie Duer was also elected in 2012, and Montgomery has had to vacate his seat—he hopes temporarily—for retirement reasons.
Bert Adler and Lucian Hunt Jr. are running for mayor of Lewisburg. Incumbent Tina Callahan-Dye has chosen not to seek reelection for health reasons.
Only three candidates have filed for seats on the Lewisburg council, and none of them were among the six who were elected two years ago. Jason W. Bradley, Steven E. Nichols and Kathy Whitescarver-Stewart are the current candidates. In 2012, Shirley Woodward, Jeff Laster and Melanie Palmgren were elected as announced candidates while Jason Wade Harper, Hannah Marie Osler and Betty Gibson became council members as write-ins. At least three more write-ins are needed now.
Russellville already had nine candidates for its six seats by the January filing deadlines. They are incumbents Pat Walpole Bell, Jimmy Davenport, Bill Decker, Darlene Gooch, Sandra Kinser and Jack Whipple. Hoping to unseat some of them are Albert Head, Joe Laird and Larry Wilcutt.
Only six people filed for the Adairville City Council. They are Danny Finch, Brent Johnson, Bill Steen, Becky Tinch, Michelle Trimble and Art Violette. They are the same six who were elected in 2012.
Adairville Mayor Donna Blake and Auburn Mayor Mike Hughes are in the middle of four-year terms. No one filed to run against Russellville Mayor Mark Stratton as he moves into his second term.
The five school board members whose seats expire this year are unopposed for reelection. They are James Milam, David Corbin and Lovis Patterson in Russellville and Logan County members Kenny Robertson (Adairville) and Tim Hall (Auburn). Milam and Robertson are chairs of their respective boards.
A race of great interest matches Republican Phil Gregory and Democrat Wendell Jackson for jailer. Long-time jailer Bill Jenkins retired early this year, and veteran lawman Jim Ray is serving in that capacity in the interim.
Other contested races are for seats on Logan Fiscal Court. They are multi-term Republican Dickie Carter and incumbent Democrat Russell Poore in the First District, incumbent Democrat Drexel Johnson and Republican challenger Matthew Latham in District Four, and incumbent Republican Jo Orange and Democratic challenger Phillip Joe Bilyeu in the Fifth District.
Two multi-county races are also on the ballot, in addition to House and Senate seats. Incumbent Democratic state representative Martha Jane King of Logan County is being challenged by independent Jason Petrie of Todd County while attorneys Ken Williams of Logan County and Nan Calloway of Todd County are seeking the district judge position which long-time incumbent Sue Carol Browning is vacating.
Write-ins for all offices can be filed at the office of County Clerk Scottie Harper.