Wednesday, March 24, 2010

5 of 6 county seats not challenged

Elections filing period closes with some surprises


By JON DUVAL
Express Staff Writer

Angenie McCleary

Of the six seats up for election in Blaine County this November, only one race will be contested.

The filing period for the Nov. 2 general election closed Friday, March 19, with Ketchum resident Mickey Garcia challenging incumbent Blaine County Commissioner Angenie McCleary in the only contested election.

McCleary was appointed to the commission in July 2008 by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter to replace retiring Commissioner Sarah Michael. Garcia is registered as an independent, meaning McCleary will not be challenged during the primary election, which takes place May 25.

McCleary and Garcia will be competing for the District 3 seat, which runs from the north side of East Fork Road north to Smiley Creek, in northern Blaine County.

Fellow Commissioner Tom Bowman, a Democrat, is also up for re-election, his third term, and is unopposed.

Also running without challenge is Coroner Russ Mikel, the longest-standing elected county employee of those up for election this year. Mikel, a Republican, has held his position since 1986 and is seeking re-election for another four-year term.

Assessor Valdi Pace is seeking her fourth four-year term.

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County Clerk JoLynn Drage, a Democrat, is seeking her second four-year term. She also ran unopposed for her first term.

Treasurer Vicki Dick will be running for her fifth term, and if successful will have spent two decades in the position by the end of that term. Dick, a Republican, ran unopposed in previous elections.

On the state level, Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, is running unopposed, while fellow District 25 Rep. Donna Pence, D-Gooding, is challenged by Alex Sutter, R-Richfield.

Acting state Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, faces a tougher race, with four other candidates challenging her for the seat currently held by her husband, Clint Stennett. In the primary election, she will face Hailey resident Robert Blakeley and Hagerman resident David Maestas. Sun Valley Republican Jim Donoval and Randall Patterson, a Constitution Party member from Carey, have also filed to run for the seat.

For Idaho's 2nd Congressional District, which includes Blaine County, Rep. Mike Simpson, a Republican, will face three Republican challengers in the primary election. One Democrat and one independent have also filed to challenge Simpson.

Simpson, serving his sixth term, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998. This will be only the second time he has had opponents in the primary election.

The other candidates for the congressional seat are Mike Crawford, D-Mountain Home, Brian Schad, an independent from Idaho Falls, Katherine Burton, R-Boise, M.C. Chick Heileson, R-Idaho Falls, and Russell Mathews, R-Idaho Falls.

Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com




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