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It was as close as it gets – a 205-vote margin out of over 14,000 – but in the end, Parker County Judge Mark Riley outlasted challenger Cary McKay to earn a shot at a fourth term in office.
Riley, 59, tallied 7,158 votes – 50.73 percent – to nudge McKay’s total of 6,953 or 49.27 percent.
Riley is completing his third term in office after serving two terms as commissioner of Precinct 4. Three other Parker County elections will be decided by runoff elections on April 13. The Precinct 2 commissioner’s race comes down to two men – Craig Peacock and Steve Harris. Peacock collected 1,301 votes, but his 45 percent fell short of the majority needed to keep Steve Harris from forcing a runoff. Harris finished with 849 votes or 29.75 percent of the total.
Two other candidates – Terry Lee and Leo Scott – managed to gather 339 and 365 votes a piece. The Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace race was even tighter. Faye Lippincott tallied 853 votes – about 29.78 percent of the total and not nearly enough to avoid a runoff with Kelly Green, who had 804 votes. Lannie Fulton wasn’t far behind with 717 votes or 25 percent of the total. Wayne Cook was fourth with 490 votes, 17.11 percent. There will also be a runoff election for the Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace post. Incumbent Melvin Simons, who collected 1,805 votes (36.05 percent) will face a runoff with newcomer Lynn Marie Johnson, who had 1,762 votes (35.18 percent). Ron Miller wasn’t far behind with 1,442 votes (28.79 percent). There won’t be a runoff for the Precinct 4 commissioner spot, as newcomer Dusty Renfro collected 3,024 votes or 55.79 percent of the total. Mason Wallis was second with 1,228 votes (22.66 percent) while Jorden Wood was third with 1,168 votes (21.55 percent). Other Parker County Republicans didn’t have challengers. Precinct 1 JP Wayne Hayes tallied 2,017 votes, while Precinct 3 JP Suzie Merkley came away with 2,935 votes. District 61 State Representative Phil King tallied 12,208 votes to get the Republican nod for his seventh term in the Texas House. Candidate philosophical County Judge candidate McKay, 42, has been running an aggressive campaign for the past six months. He was surprisingly upbeat despite the close loss. “This was the first morning I was able to have two cups of coffee,” he said. “I’m tickled to death – I really am. I did everything I could do. “I don’t want people to feel bad for me,” he said. “I want them to know how much I appreciate their vote. I’ve had the chance to meet so many good people.” McKay congratulated Riley on his victory. “I told him ‘you need to do what’s right for the taxpayers,’” McKay said. As for his future plans – McKay doesn’t yet know. “I’m waiting to see if God opens the door to something else,” he said. “Four years from now? I don’t know. (But) you’ll see me at Republican party events.” Riley could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Granger breezes District 12 U.S. Congresswoman Kay Granger had two opponents in this year’s Republican primary election. But it made little difference as the former Fort Worth mayor easily won the nomination for an eighth term in Congress. Granger collected 40,296 votes – a whopping 69.96 percent – to defeat Parker County resident Mike Brasovan, who collected 10,937 votes (19 percent) and Matthew E. Kelly who had 6,359 votes (11.04 percent). Tarrant County races Tarrant County had a County Judge’s race too, but it wasn’t nearly as close as their neighbor’s to the west. Incumbent Glen Whitley collected 46,948 votes or 58.73 percent to outdistance challenger Richard G. Clough, who had 33,002 or 41.27 percent. The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s race was a close one, as appointee Joe Shannon Jr. held onto the office over Kirk Claunch. Shannon, who was named to the office after the death of Tim Curry, pulled 48,045 votes to Claunch’s 37,801. There will be a runoff for County Clerk, as four candidates sought to replace the retiring Suzanne Henderson. Mary Louise Garcia got the most votes at 31,188 (37 percent) while Jim Truitt polled 27,387 (32.5 percent) and will face her in a runoff. Georgia Cartwright got 18,817 votes (22.3 percent) and Phillip Benge took 6,850 (8.13 percent). And Tarrant County voters saw fit to give District 99 State Rep. Charlie Geren a sixth term in office. Geren, a familiar face around Azle, collected 8,033 votes in the Republican primary (57.59 percent) to outdistance Matt Krause who had 5,915 (42.40 percent). “I feel fortunate the people of District 99 saw fit to elect me to another term,” Geren said. He acknowledged the strong support he has in Azle. “I have a lot of friends in Azle – and I’ve been able to make a lot of new ones over the past 10 years,” he said. Geren said the next legislative session, which begins in January 2011, is an important one. The state legislature will be looking at a projected $15 to $20 million budget deficit. Redistricting – which takes place every 10 years – will also be a hot topic. Precinct 4 Tarrant County Commissioner J.D. Johnson didn’t have an opponent, but still collected 15,007 votes. Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace was also unopposed and gathered 8,524 votes. |
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