BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Incumbents came out ahead in the General Election for Mingo County on Tuesday. After all 28 precincts, the early and absentee votes were counted the winners were announced in the Mingo County Courthouse basement area where the tallies are tabulated.
Incumbent County Commissioner Thomas Taylor, a Republican, won reelection, defeating challenger Doug Kirk, a Democrat, 3,168 to 2,553.
In the County Clerk’srace Democrat Larry “Yogi” Croaff held off Republican challenger Bethany Goad Cisco in a close race, 2,947 votes to 2,811.
In the battle for Circuit Clerk incumbent Democrat Lonnie Hannah held off Republican Audrey Gay Smith 2,900 to 2,831 in another highly contested race. Hannah was the former sheriff of Mingo County.
For the County CCommissioner’srace for the unexpired term Democrat Nathan Brown defeated longtime Republican Russell Deskins 3,048 to 2,580. Brown, a Williamson attorney, had been serving as a member of the WV House of Delegates.
The Mingo County School Bond Levy was passed with 3,450 yes votes to 1,735 no votes.
The county also went with the rest of the district in the Congressional race for District One as incumbent Republican Carol Miller received 4,302 votes, Democrat Lacy Watson received 948 votes and Independent Belinda Spencer got 129 votes
Republican State Senator Mark Maynard easily won in Mingo County with 4,143 tallies compared to 1,122 for challenger Tiffany Clemens. This is for the 6th Senatorial District. Maynard is expected to win in the other counties that is included in his district.
In the two House of Delegate races that take in parts of Mingo County, Republican incumbent Mark Dean, a former educator, won handily in his home county 2,688 to 1,340 for Democrat challenger Mark Colegrove. This was for the 28th District.
Republican Henry Corbett Dillon got 976 votes in Mingo County for the 29th District compared to 530 for Democrat David Thompson.
All four statewide amendments went with the statewide trend as Mingo voters went against each amendment.
A canvass of the votes will be held by the County Commission on Nov. 14.