Watts wins majority in 3-way race for judge; other incumbents fare well
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, 11 p.m. — With nearly half of registered Nelson County voters going to the polls Tuesday, it is no surprise the county’s turnout of 49.5 percent surprised the statewide average in an off-year election that generated substantial interest — and at times controversy — in its final weeks.
Incumbent Dean Watts, left, won a majority of the votes in a repeat of the three-way race he ran four years ago against Republican Pete Trzop (center) and independent Tim Hutchins. (File photo)
JUDGE EXECUTIVE. Dean Watts came out on top of a repeat of the same three-way race he ran four years ago, though this time he won with a clear majority, garnering 7,876 votes — or nearly 53 percent.
His challengers, former magistrate Tim Hutchins and Republican Pete Trzop, finished with 24.91 percent of the vote and 22.22 percent respectively.
Watts campaigned on his record of dependable leadership and fiscal conservatism. Four years ago, Watts won with just 41 percent of the vote.
Watts will be interviewed Wednesday morning in the 7 a.m. hour on WBRT discussing the election.
PVA. Incumbent property valuation administrator Barbara Tichenor held off Republican challenger Donna Molyneaux, getting 8,465 votes, or 59.15 percent of those cast in the race.
SHERIFF. With Sheriff Stephen Campbell’s decision not to seek re-election, there was no incumbent in the race for Nelson County Sheriff. The candidates who emerged from the primary were both employees of the sheriff’s office, and both agreed the sheriff’s office could use more manpower.
Democratic candidate Ed Mattingly solidly defeated J.T. “Thomas” Fulkerson with 61.21 percent of the votes cast in the race.
CORONER. Incumbent Field Houghlin won another four-year-term as coroner, defeating Republican Danielle Chladek by earning 56.96 percent of the votes. Despite the controversy that has swirled around Houghlin after he was found to have violated the county’s ethics laws regarding nepotism, he won this election with a slighter higher percentage of the votes cast than he did facing Chladek four years ago.
NELSON FISCAL COURT. In politics it isn’t easy to unseat an incumbent, though at least one magistrate race was nip-and-tuck as the election returns came in Tuesday night at the Nelson County Clerk’s office.
MAGISTRATE D1. Incumbent Keith Metcalfe scored a solid win with 70.23 percent of the District 1 votes over his Republican challenger, David Reed. Metcalfe is finishing his first term as a magistrate on Nelson Fiscal Court.
MAGISTRATE D3. Bernard Ice won another four-year term on fiscal court by defeating Republican Jeff Cassel with 55.31 percent of the vote.
MAGISTRATE D4. For incumbent Republican Magistrate Jeff Lear, election night returns kept the race close, with David Shields, his Democratic challenger, taking the lead at one point. Lear held on to win by an 83-vote margin at the end of the night.
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