Published: May 14, 2008 10:24 pm         

Fayette voters turn out and support levy

For the most part, primary election day in Fayette County went smoothly Tuesday, County Clerk Kelvin Holliday said.

“All in all, it was a very good election,” Holliday said Wednesday.

About 47 percent of the county’s 25,932 registered voters cast ballots during the election cycle, including 1,614 early voters. “That ranks among the very top” for past primaries, Holliday said regarding the turnout percentage. And it was more than the estimated state average of 40 percent.

A “very healthy” Democratic turnout was pegged at about 57 percent, he added.

Final returns were posted slightly before 1 a.m. Wednesday, about the time Holliday had estimated. He feels that time won’t get much faster in the future until the county can switch over to a fully electronic system instead of using paper ballots for some voters.

“The (election) team performed well in Fayette County,” Holliday said.

During the election, chief deputy Steve Kessler earned a shot at replacing outgoing Sheriff Bill Laird. Midway through reporting Tuesday night, Kessler was lodged in a tight race with Montgomery resident Pete Lopez. It stayed that way until the end, with Kessler earning a 159-vote margin after all 39 precincts were compiled.

Kessler outpaced three other candidates in the bid to be the Democratic nominee. He amassed 3,125 votes, or 32.22 percent, to set the bar. A 25-year FCSD officer, Lopez tallied 2,966 votes, or 30.58 percent. Lawrence Boley was third with 1,948 votes, and Paul Washington was fourth with 1,661 votes.

In the fall, Kessler will square off with Republican Randy Prince, who tallied 953 votes.

In another key race, Leon Ivey unseated board of education president Peggy Farmer in the race for a Plateau District spot on the board.

Ivey collected 5,329 votes, or 30.6 percent, to topple Farmer, who had 4,746 votes for 27.26 percent. The board’s first female president, Farmer had carved slightly into Ivey’s margin from the first 10 precincts, but he maintained enough of a cushion as the night wore on to claim the triumph. Third in the Plateau race was Manuel Domingues, a former Fayette superintendent, with 3,010 votes.

Current board member Leon Newman was unopposed in the Valley District. He accumulated 4,306 votes.

The excess levy for the county’s school system was overwhelmingly approved. The levy received 71.27 percent approval, passing by a margin of 7,418-2,991.

Sharon McGraw led four incumbent magistrates to another term. McGraw paced the ticket with 5,681 votes, or 20.64 percent. A close second was Danita Young, who registered 5,449 votes, or 19.8 percent. Charles Garvin placed third with 5,033 votes, and Mike Parsons nailed down the fourth and final spot with 4,943 votes. Ben Love was fifth with 3,879 votes, and Roger Boone Sr. was sixth with 2,540 votes.

No Republican filed for a magistrate spot in November.

In the race for the Democratic county commission nomination, current Commissioner Ken Eskew handily defeated challenger Jonathan Walkup. Eskew garnered 6,290 votes, or 68.39 percent, while Walkup had 2,907 votes, or 31.61 percent. Eskew will meet Republican candidate Jim Murdock in November. Murdock had 1,197 votes.

Circuit judges John Hatcher (8,601 votes) and Paul Blake (7,977), Prosecuting Attorney Carl Harris (8,260), Assessor Eddie Young (8,246), Family Court Judge Janet Frye Steele (7,727) and Surveyor Leon Spencer (7,760) were unopposed, and no Republicans filed for those races in November.

The vote tallies will be canvassed by the county commission at 9 a.m. Friday. Since the excess levy was also included in the election, current BOE members will participate as well. Provisional ballots are counted during the canvass.

“I don’t expect any results to change in any race,” Holliday said.

— E-mail: skeenan@register-herald.com