With only seven more business days remaining for filing, at least nine races will be contested in Logan County during this election year, some in the primaries, some in the general election, and a few in both.
Only three incumbents on the county level have said they will not seek reelection. They are Property Valuation Administrator Ben Brown, Fourth District Magistrate Drexel Johnson and Fifth District Magistrate Jo Orange.
Brown and Orange have made public announcements about their intentions. Both are expected to assist their daughters in their campaigns this year. Orange’s daughter Mary is running for circuit court clerk, and Brown’s daughter Brooke Brown Waldrup has passed the state test to run for PVA, apparently the only one to take the examination before the deadline last fall.
Johnson, who is in his mid-70s, tells The LoJo he thinks it’s time for a younger person to take on the duties of office. Republican Jason Wade Harper and Democrats Dale Givens and Ranny Adler have filed for the Fourth District seat on Logan Fiscal Court. Adler was elected to that position in an earlier decade.
Age differences could be a factor in the two primaries in the First District. Incumbent Dickie Carter, who is in his early 70s, is opposed in the Republican primary by Timothy Rainwaters, who is younger than he. The difference is much greater in the Democratic primary, where former magistrate Russell Poore, who is in his late 70s, is running against Tyler Davenport, who is in his early 30s. It remains to be seen which age group is an asset for a candidate.
Two Democrats have filed for Orange’s Fifth District seat. They are retired educator/current real estate agent Steve Stratton and retired insurance agent Boyce Coles.
Sherry Johnson Wilkins is the long-time incumbent circuit clerk. She is a Democrat. Mary Orange is running for the office as a Republican.
Four other major offices have contested races set up in November.
Acting Commonwealth Attorney Justin Crocker is running for that office as a Democrat. Two other young attorneys, Joe Hendricks and Neil Kerr, will face off in the Republican primary. Gail Guiling, who was reelected commonwealth attorney four years ago, is currently inactive in the office because of legal action of her own she is facing.
Multi-term incumbent Judge-Executive Logan Chick, a Democrat, will face former law enforcement officer Larry Brewer, a Republican, in the general election.
Multi-term Sheriff Wallace Whittaker, a Democrat, will be challenged by Republican Robert Matthews, who has served as a deputy sheriff under him.
Jailer Phil Gregory, a Republican, faces opposition from Democrat Freddie Norris Markham, a Logan Aluminum retiree.
In another contested fiscal court race, long-serving Sixth District Magistrate Thomas Bouldin, a Democrat, faces opposition from Republican Cody Tatum, who is in management at Hutson Ag and is a Russellville City and Auburn fire departments firefighter and EMT along with serving on the county fair board.
Incumbents so far unopposed are State Rep. Jason Petrie, District Judge Ken Williams, County Attorney Joe Ross, County Clerk Scottie Harper, Coroner Mary Givens, and Russellville Mayor Second District Magistrate Jack Crossley, Third District Magistrate Barry Joe Wright, Mark Stratton.
Four incumbent Russellville City Council members—Jack Whipple, Jimmy Davenport, Pat Bell and Sandra Kinser—have filed to reclaim of one of six seats on that legislative body. Also seeking another term as Fourth District Constable is William ‘Butch’ Inman.
No primaries are required for city council or mayoral races in Adairville, Auburn and Lewisburg, nor for open school board seats. Filing for those offices will be done during the summer.
The deadline for filing for offices that require a primary is Tuesday, Jan. 30, either in the county clerk’s office for local elections or in the office of the Secretary of State for multi-county office.