7 battle for commission seats

Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 8, 2000

Two county commission seats and the sheriff’s post will be the only primary election races with opposition.

Saturday, January 08, 2000

Two county commission seats and the sheriff’s post will be the only primary election races with opposition. By Friday’s filing deadline, three Democrats and four Republicans had filed for the commission seats.

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Incumbent Democrat commissioner George Patterson will face off against Democrat and Ironton City Council member Hugh Scott in the March 7 election.

Les Boggs has no opposition for the Republican nomination to Patterson’s term, and will face the victor of the Patterson-Scott race in the November General Election.

For the term that will be left vacant by Republican commission president Bruce Trent, who is not seeking re-election, Republicans Jason Stephens, Jack Welz and Dr. Carl Baker will square off March 7.

A former commissioner, Baker gave up his term in 1998 when he announced he was leaving politics and would not seek re-election.

Former state representative Ron James is the only Democrat who has filed for Trent’s seat and will face the winner of the Stephens-Welz-Baker race in November.

Incumbent Democrat Sheriff Roy Smith will face opposition from Democrat Russell Bennett, Chesapeake Police Department chief.

Tim Sexton, chief investigator for county prosecutor J.B. Collier Jr., was the only candidate who filed for the Republican sheriff’s nomination.

Board of elections officials in Scioto and Gallia counties reported only one opposed primary race in state and federal legislative elections.

Democrat U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland will face no primary opposition for election to the 6th District seat in Congress but will face November competition.

Republicans Jimmy Stewart and Mike Azinger filed for their party’s primary nomination to Congress.

State Rep. Bill Ogg, D-Sciotoville, is also running unopposed in the March primary for the 92nd House district, but will face Republican opposition in November from Dave Lucas, the only candidate to file for his party’s nomination.

State Rep. John Carey, R-Wellston, will be unopposed for Republican nomination to the 94th House district, which includes eastern Lawrence County. No Democrats filed for the seat.

Candidates filing unooposed for the 2000 primary include:

– Dale Burcham (incumbent), Democrat, clerk of courts.

– Sue Ann Deeds (incumbent), Republican, county recorder.

– Kenneth C. Howell (incumbent), Republican, county treasurer.

– David Lynd (incumbent), Republican, county engineer.

– A. Burton Payne (incumbent), Republican, county coroner.

– W. Richard Walton (incumbent), Republican, common pleas court judge.

– J.B. Collier Jr. (incumbent), Republican, county prosecutor.

LEVIES

– Lawrence Township: 1-mill fire levy, five-year renewal.

– South Point Board of Education: 0.53-mill, 23-year tax levy for new school site acquisition and 3.81-mill 23-year bond levy for local share of state construction dollars.