Published: May 06, 2008 11:41 pm            

ELECTION 2008: Clark County races include Young surprise in Commissioner race

Clark County voters went with the tried and the new in the Democratic Party primary election for commissioners seats Tuesday.

Ed Meyer beat two foes in District 2, while political newcomer Les Young earned a surprising win in District 1 over three opponents.

Meyer won the democratic nomination for the 1st District with 10,595 votes, or 44 percent. He beat out opponents Eric Hedrick, who received 31 percent of the votes, and Bob McEwen, who received 25 percent.

Newcomer Les Young won for the Commissioner’s seat in the 2nd District with 8,055 votes, or 34 percent. Young won over three other opponents — Council President Dave Abbott, who received 23 percent of the votes, Keith Coats, who received 24 percent, and Don Guthrie, who received 19 percent.

“I guess [voters] felt they wanted someone with some common sense and business sense,” Young said. “It’s sweet — we worked hard.”

Young will face Republican candidate Jack Coffman in November for the District 2 seat.

“It just goes to show you can’t pick them — they sure didn’t have [Jacobi] picked and they sure didn’t have me picked,” Young said.

Meyer’s win forces a face-off with republican candidate Monty Snelling, who currently holds a seat on the Clark County Council. But that will have to wait a bit.

“I’m real proud of myself,” Meyer said Tuesday night. “I had a lot of people helping me — there was tough opposition and it forced me to work hard.”

Three County Council At-large democratic nominees were chosen from a pool of five candidates. Kevin Vissing received the most votes with 12,980, or 29 percent. Incumbent Chuck Moore received 10,901 votes, or 24 percent, and Perry Smith received 9,152 votes, or 20 percent.

Vissing, Moore, and Smith will compete against republicans Steve Doherty, John Durbin and Danny Yost in the November general election.



CLARK COUNTY CORONER

Incumbent Edwin Coots won the Clark County Coroner’s race for the democratic nomination by a landslide Tuesday night with 19,097 votes, or 79 percent. Coots said he is excited to continue to serve the community of Clark County and looks forward to continuing the job.

Coots defeated Adam Koch, who received 5,156 votes, or 21 percent.

“I expected it before I even entered the race,” Koch said.

There are no republican candidates currently in the running for the coroner’s office.

Almost all the democratic candidates in the primaries for local office gathered at Jefferson Place Bingo Hall on 10th Street — some celebrating victory and some shaking off defeat.

The Shelley Marble for judge supporters in purple shook her hand showing a job well done, even though victory was out of reach. The Meyer contingent — proudly wearing their campaign shirts — slapped him on the back offering congratulations.

        

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