Incumbents win in Tuesday balloting Four of the six magisterial seats on the Crittenden County Fiscal Court will not change over he next four years, and GOP newcomer Perry Newcom is riding a large wave of support toward the fall general election in the widely watched judge’s race.
Newcom, a 46-year old Southern States Farm Supply Store owner, captured almost 60 percent of the votes cast in a three-way race for the Republican nomination for judge-executive.
At his victory celebration at Thom’s Sweet Shoppe in Marion following Tuesday’s balloting, Newcom received the official endorsement of two-term Judge-Executive Fred Brown, who is not seeking re-election.
“It’s obvious that the party is behind him and I believe people as a whole think that Perry will do a great job,” said Brown, a Republican.
“I was surprised by the margin of victory,” said Brown, who himself won by similar measure in a special election in 2004 and was unopposed four years ago.
Two-term Magistrate Greg West ran second with 21 percent of the 1,284 votes cast in the judge’s race. Mike McConnell, a farm owner and school bus driver, was third with 20 percent of the vote.
Newcom received 763 votes, or 242 more than the other two candidates combined.
“I congratulate him. He ran an excellent campaign and I hope the best for him,” said West, who didn’t completely rule out local politics in the future after having served eight years as the District 5 magistrate.
“This was a blow,” he said. “I will have to let the dust settle and see where I am in my life when it rolls around again.”
West said Newcom was the “establishment’s candidate” and drew broad support from that base.
“He was the candidate – the pick of those who are the pickers,” West said, “and I was not. I knew that.”
Newcom said his campaign developed a plan early in the race and stuck to it. The strategy included targeting registered GOP voters and holding community meetings across the county.
“I tried to talk to every registered Republican voter, and for the most part I did. There were some who were not at home and some I couldn’t track down, but not too many,” Newcom explained. For all of this article, see this week's printed edition of the PDF Online Edition.
Relay surprasses fundraising goal Counting the money raised for Relay for Life was a bittersweet event for one local family.
Taina Hamilton’s family was surrounded by friends Friday night as they counted out almost $2,000 toward the event’s $32,000 total purse. The Hamiltons and friends had dedicated the last few days leading up to Relay to Taina, a 48-year-old Relay supporter, who died unexpectedly on April 22, three weeks prior the American Cancer Society’s annual fundraising extravaganza at Marion-Crittenden County Park.
“She would have been here participating,” said Beverly Sherrell, one of Hamilton’s co-workers at Crittenden Hosptial. “This is one way we could feel like she was still here helping.”
Her family held a yard sale in the days leading up to Relay, selling her belongings and donating all of the money to fight cancer. Her husband, Franklin, and her son, Jeff, were among those at the Relay carrying the mantle like she’d have wanted.
In her name, they collected coins, accepted donations and sold items in order to fulfill her wish of being part of the Relay effort.
“It just speaks a lot for the type of person she was,” Sherrell said.
Hamilton had worked tirelessly for Relay because her friend Mary Fritts is a cancer survivor. Ironically, Fritts is her husband’s ex-wife.
Relay organizers say this year’s event was a huge success, eclipsing its goal by almost $5,000. For all of this article, see this week's printed edition of the PDF Online Edition.