No surprises
Incumbents win easily Aug. 4
With most incumbents running unopposed in key Anderson County races during last Thursday’s general election, there were no upsets to report.
In the only contested countywide race, Sheriff Russell Barker kept his job, defeating challenger Rusty Carr by 5,717 to 3,051, getting 65.2 percent of the vote.
In a hotly contested three-way race for the two County Commission seats in District 3 (Andersonville/Norris areas), incumbent Joshua Anderson, running as an independent, topped the balloting with 1,006 votes (38.29 percent), followed by Shelly Vandagriff with 911 (34.68 percent), and Lindsay Smith with 710 (27.03 percent).
Anderson, who was running for his second four-year term, also has served as chairman of the commission for the past two years.
In countywide races, running without opposition, were Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, County Trustee Regina Copeland, Circuit Court Clerk Rex Lynch, County Clerk Jeff Cole, Register of Deeds Tim Shelton, and Road Superintendent Gary Long, of whom are the incumbents.
In the General Sessions Court positions, there are two newcomers, both of whom won their Republican primaries and then ran unopposed in last week’s general election. They are Victoria Bowling, Division I, and Matt Tuck, Division II. Also running unopposed was Juvenile Court Judge Brian Hunt.
Winners of the Judicial District 7 races, who also ran unopposed, were Circuit and Criminal Court Judge Ryan Spitzer, Chancellor M. Nichole Cantrell, District Attorney General Dave Clark, and Public Defender Ann D. Coria.
In all of the County Commission races, the candidates and their vote totals were (top two won seats):
District 1: Tracy L. Wandell (630); Tyler Mayes (553); Rodney M. Jennings (485).
District 2: Michael Y. Foster (725); Denise Palmer (688); V.L. Stonecipher (494).
District 3: Joshua Anderson (1,006); Shelly Vandagriff (911); Lindsay Smith (710).
District 4: Tim Isbel (558); J. Shain Vowell (423); Amy Jones (363).
District 5: Jerry White (500); Robert McKamey (471).
District 6: Catherine Denenberg (475); Anthony Allen (443); Steve Mead (428).
District 7: Steve Verran (672); Sabra Beauchamp (472); Steven Poppick (364).
District 8: Bob Smallridge (861); Phil Yager (795); Jake Martin (400); Myra Mansfield (376).
A total of 9,504 people voted in the Aug. 4 election; more than half (5,386) cast their ballots during early voting July 15-30.
For other Anderson County election results from Aug. 4, check online at acelect.com/results/.