VEACH, CANADAY, LEWARK-WOOD GIVEN THE BOOT; SALES TAX ISSUE REJECTED
By Andy Taylor
Montgomery County Chronicle
Montgomery County voters made their voices known at Tuesday’s primary election by giving the boot to three incumbent county officials.
Russell Canaday, the chief administrative judge for the 14th Judicial District, was upset in his re-election bid by Sedan attorney Gary House. House received 55 percent of the total Republican votes cast in Montgomery and Chautauqua counties while Canaday received 45 percent.
Actual votes were House with 2,903 votes and Canaday with 2,350.
House will now be the Republican nominee for the judicial seat and will advance to the Nov. 4 general election where he will face Independence attorney Robert Lattin. Lattin is the Democrat Party candidate and was uncontested in Tuesday’s primary election.
There will be a new sheriff in Montgomery County following the defeat of incumbent sheriff Stan Veach on Tuesday. Robert “Bobby” Dierks of Coffeyville claimed the Republican nomination for sheriff by defeating Veach: 2,333 (52.99 percent) to 2,070 (47.01 percent).
Dierks will now face the Democrat Party opponent, Jerry Gilbert, in the Nov. 4 general election. Gilbert was uncontested in Tuesday’s election.
Billie Lewark-Wood, a veteran of county government, was given her walking papers on Tuesday by Republican voters in the Montgomery County Commission, 2nd District. Lewark-Wood, who was completing her first term in office, was defeated by challenger Larry McManus of Independence. McManus garnered 996 total votes (53.26 percent) while Lewark-Wood, who spent more than 20 years as county treasurer prior to serving as county commissioner, received 769 votes (43.57 percent).
McManus will be unopposed in the November general election. Barring a write-in campaign by an opponent in the general election, McManus will take the oath of office as commissioner next January.
Charlotte Scott-Schmidt, incumbent county clerk, won the Republican nomination for that position by defeating two challengers. Scott-Schmidt received 2,059 votes (47 percent) while Tina Aldrich of Coffeyville finished in second place with 1,395 votes (31.84 percent). Pat Alexander of Independence picked up 927 votes to finish in third place (21.16 percent).
Scott-Schmidt will be unopposed in the November general election.
In a hotly-contested campaign for the Kansas Senate, 14th District, incumbent state senator Dwayne Umbarger of Thayer picked up the Republican nomination by defeating a stiff challenge by fellow Thayer resident Iris VanMeter. Umbarger won his race in Montgomery County (the 14th district includes Parker and Cherokee townships, including the city of Coffeyville): 641 votes (52 percent) to 596 votes (48 percent). The 14th district, which also includes all of Neosho and Labette counties as well as the southern half of Cherokee County, combined votes to give Umbarger a 65 percent to 35 percent edge over VanMeter.
Umbarger will move to the November general election to face Democrat Party candidate David L. Miller of Parsons.
Montgomery County voters also gave a defeat to a sales tax proposal on Tuesday. Had it been approved, the 1/4-cent sales tax would have funded an expansion of the Montgomery County Jail.
No votes were 3,301, or 60 percent, while yes votes were 2,241, or 40 percent.
