As expected, Auburn will have a new mayor next year. What was unexpected is that a three-man race is now officially underway to determine his successor following last week’s filing deadline.
Auburn is in the eastern section of Logan County. In the South Logan hub of Adairville, an incumbent mayor will face an incumbent councilwoman in a rematch at Adairville. In each of those cities, nine candidates are seeking the six council seats. It had already been determined in January that there would be 10 candidates for council of the county seat, Russellville. In North Logan’s Lewisburg, only half as many candidates filed for the council as needed.
Vying to replace the retiring Mayor Dewey Roche in Auburn are current councilman Mike Hughes, former councilman Wayne Thomas, and Maxie Rittenberry, who is best known for his volunteer work with civil defense/search and rescue. Rittenberry has run for mayor before, including the last time the office was contested in 2008.
Running for the Auburn council are incumbents Jessie Duer, Rex Evans, Gayle Gregory, Steve Montgomery and Bobby Price along with challengers Thelma Cottrell, James Wayne Gregory, Shane Johnson and Norma Kutzman.
Two-term Adairville mayor Jim Wilkerson is again being challenged by current councilwoman Donna Blake. They were also opponents in 2008 with Wilkerson surviving the close race 188-179.
Running for the Adairville City Council are incumbents Danny Finch, Bill Steen, Becky Tinch and Art Violette along with challengers Patty Costello, Dick Dickerson, Brent Johnson, Patricia Arnold Mayes and Michelle Trimble. Incumbent Tony Nichols did not file for another term.
Tina Callahan-Dye is in the middle of a four-year term as mayor of Lewisburg. The three citizens who filed to run for the Lewisburg City Council are incumbents Jeff Laster and Melanie Palmgren and new candidate Shirley S. Woodward. Joyce Richardson, Donnie Smith, Craig Givens and Scott Sweetsir, who were elected two years ago, did not file for another term.
The only other newly contested race is for the four seats on the North Logan Soil Conservation board. Five people are seeking membership on that panel. They are R.W. ‘Bobby’ Brown, Ernest B. ‘Ernie’ Ezell, Dewayne Sharp, Warren Stuart and Anthony Woodall.
None of the other offices which had an August filing date are contested. They include the South Logan Soil Conservation board where Tommy Brown, Eddy Russell, Bob Allen and Jeff Campbell are the candidates; three Logan County school board incumbents—Phillip Baker (Chandlers), Ralph Cropper (Lewisburg) and Johnny Dawson (Olmstead); two Russellville Independent School Board incumbents, Davonna Page and Phillip West; and the remaining two years on the fiscal court term won by the late Curtis Watkins in 2010 and now being filled by the appointed Barry Joe Wright, who drew no Republican opposition.
The field for the six Russellville City Council seats was sealed in the spring primary filing. Since only 10 candidates filed, no primary was necessary. The candidates are incumbents Pat Walpole Bell, Jimmy Davenport, Bill Decker, Darlene Gooch, Sandra Kinser and Jack Whipple along with challengers Archie Beck, Lora Murphy, Doug Nash and Marvina Benton Neblett. Mayor Mark Stratton has two more years on this term.
The primary election also set up races for state representative (between incumbent Democrat Martha Jane King and Republican Chris Hightower) and state senator (incumbent Joe Pendleton, a Democrat, and the GOP’s Whitney Westerfield). The representative district includes Todd County. Christian County joins them in the senatorial district.
Incumbent Sherry Wilkins, a Democrat, is running unopposed for another six-year term as circuit court clerk.
A large turnout is expected for the Nov. 6 election because the office of President of the United States will be contested. The presumed nominees are incumbent Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney. Four years ago, 10,736 votes were cast for either Obama or Republican John McCain.