For the first time in 12 years, there will be a new Precinct 1 County Commissioner as Kirk Chastain defeated incumbent Gary Worley in the Republican Primary Tuesday night.
Chastain received 898 votes, or 55.64%, to Worley’s 716 votes, or 44.36%. With no Democratic challenger in the November general election, Chastain will take over the position in January 2025.
“I want thank all the voters for all the support I got in the county,” Chastain said. “I didn’t know what to expect to be honest, everyone I talked to said it was hard to beat an incumbent, so I appreciate all the encouragement I got. I wasn’t worried, but I was anxious for the results.”
Worley said of the outcome, “I’d like to thank all the voters for turning out and voting. It will be interesting for the next several months and then I’ll be glad to hand over the commissioner’s job in January. It’s been an honor for me to serve for what will be 12 years in January. We accomplished a lot in those 12 years and still have a lot to do. We have some plans laid out.”
Between now and the time he takes office, Chastain said, “I reached out to Gary and talked to him at the elections office and told him I’d like to come up there and pick his brain a little bit about the job and he was real receptive to it. I’ll go to the commissioners meetings to get my feet wet.”
Brown County’s other two contested races are headed for May 28 run-offs.
In the five-man Precinct 3 Commissioner election, incumbent Wayne Shaw received 708 votes, or 43.78%, but not having attained a majority of votes a run-off is required. Shaw’s challenger, who received the second-most votes, is David ‘Doc’ Reid, who compiled 318, or 19.67%.
“I’m really humbled by the turnout and the results we got,” Shaw added. “I appreciate the voters of Precinct 3 appreciating what I’ve done for the county in my tenure. I’m real excited and ready for the run-off. There’s still work to be done and David Reid’s a great guy, but the job will here after my last term if someone wants it then, because this will be my last one. But I’ve got some things I still want to do, some projects I’d still like to do for the county.”
Reid said, “You never know how it will go until the people get out and vote. I had a lot of good feedback, but any time you have five in there it makes the votes thinner and thinner. I’m looking forward to the run-off. We’re going to concentrate on getting those who voted for the other candidates on our bandwagon. I’m going to continue to work hard and hope for the best.”
The rest of the candidates in the Precinct 3 Commissioner race were Pat Drew with 201 votes, or 12.43%, Jeff Primrose with 197 votes, or 12.18%, and Pat McLaughlin III with 193 votes, or 11.93%.
The most highly-contested race of the night was for Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace where Mitchell Jacobson received 570 votes, or 36.94%, to Dustin Larremore’s 522 votes, or 33.83%, and Scotty Burke’s 451 votes, or 29.23%.
Again, with no candidate reaching a majority, a run-off between the top two – Jacobson and Larremore – will take place.
“It was a tight race, a great race, three great candidates and we’re really excited,” Jacobson said. “The run-off will be nothing different than what we’ve been campaigning on, it’s a vacant position. I’m not running to try and change anything, we feel like we’re the best qualified and excited to be a part of the race and we’ll see what happens.”
Larremore added, “It was a fun race and to everyone that went out and voted, I appreciate them. It’s election season, we’ve never done this before and now we keep on moving. I figured there would be a run-off with three strong candidates running against each other. I hope everyone that did vote for me will again, and we’ll try and figure out who didn’t vote and try and get those, and who did vote back out there in May.”
A total of 5,891 ballots were cast in the election, which is 24.2% of the registered voters in Brown County.
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MARCH 5 PRIMARY
BROWN COUNTY CONTESTED RACES
FINAL VOTE TOTALS
{5,891 ballots cast, 24.2 percent of registered voters}
Precinct 1 County Commissioner
Kirk Chastain – 898 – 55.64%
Gary Worley – 716 – 44.36%
{Chastain wins race}
***
Precinct 3 County Commissioner
Wayne Shaw – 708 – 43.78%
David ‘Doc’ Reid – 318 – 19.67%
Pat Drew – 201 – 12.43%
Jeff Primrose – 197 – 12.18%
Pat McLaughlin III – 193– 11.94%
{Run-off between Shaw and Reid on May 28}
***
Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace
Mitchell Jacobson – 570 – 36.94%
Dustin Larremore – 522 – 33.83%
Scotty Burke – 451 – 29.23%
{Run-off between Jacobson and Larremore on May 28}