 ELECTIONS
2018The newly elected Livingston County officials
were sworn in to their respective offices on December 28, 2018. The Swearing In Ceremony
was held at 2:00 pm in the third floor courtroom. Officials
included:
Circuit Judge - Ryan
Horsman; Associate Circuit Judge - Michael Leamer; Presiding Commissioner
- Ed Douglas; Jane Gann - Circuit Clerk; Sherry Parks - County Clerk;
and Amy Baker - Recorder of Deeds.
CT Photo/Angie Talken, 01 02 19
Swearing-In Ceremony 12/28/18
 To be sworn in at another time are: Prosecuting Attorney Adam Warren and Circuit Judge Brent Elliot.
Sherry Parks took the oath of office for her third term as
County Clerk. Amy Baker worked as the Deputy Recorder since 2011
and said she is prepared to begin the work she has been trained to do.
Jane Gann, newly sworn-in Circuit Clerk said she is thankful for
all of the support she received during the election and for the leadership and training provided to her by her predecessor,
Brenda Wright. She has worked as a Deputy Circuit Clerk for 20 years.
Leamer, Gann, and Baker are all new to their offices and take the place of retiring officers, James
Valbracht, Associate Circuit Judge; Brenda Wright, Circuit Clerk;
and Kelly Christopher Elliott, Recorder of Deeds. Elliott began her service to the county as a deputy county
clerk on July 2, 1984, and served as county clerk from 1991-2010 and as recorder of deeds from 2011-2018.
Wright served as circuit clerk from 1999-2018; and Judge Valbracht served the county for 11 years, starting in 2007. A retirement reception was held for the three on
December 28 following the swearing in ceremony. PHOTO:
Retiring county officials, from left, Circuit Clerk, Brenda
Wright; Associate Circuit Judge James Valbracht; and Recorder of Deeds Kelly Christopher Elliott. CT
Photo/Angie Talken
Voters
Head to the Polls
BY ANGIE TALKEN
11 08 18 CT
On Tuesday, voters across Livingston County and the state headed to the polls. Livingston County Clerk
Sherry Parks reported 55.55 percent of the county's registered voters cast ballots during
Tuesday's general election.
Calvary Baptist Church served as a polling place for Chillicothe voters in the 3rd and
4th Wards. By 9:15 a.m., poll workers reported having had 120 voters from
3rd Ward and 191 from the 4th Ward.
Livingston County voters saw only one contested race for a local political office. In that race, voters elected
incumbent Rusty Black, Republican, who won out over Dennis VanDyke, Democrat, with 4269 votes or 81 percent of the votes. Black received 867 votes or 16.53 percent.
Black just completed his first two-year term in the Missouri House of Representatives and said he is excited to continue his work for citizens of the 7thHouse District.
All other local offices up for re-election were uncontested. Previous office holders whose terms were renewed include: Circuit Judge for 43rd Circuit Ryan
Horsman, Circuit Judge for 43rd Circuit Brent Elliott, Missouri Associate Circuit Judge Michael R. Leamer, Livingston County Commissioner Ed Douglas, Livingston County Circuit Court Clerk Jane Edmundson Gann, Livingston County County Clerk Sherry Parks, Livingston County Recorder of Deeds Amy Hobbs Baker, and Livingston County Prosecuting Attorney Adam L. Warren.
In statewide races,
Missouri voters cast their ballots concerning four proposed amendments to the Missouri Constitution and three propositions.
Amendment 1 was passed by Missouri voters with 61.989 percent of voters approving the
amendment. Amendment 1 changes the process and criteria for redrawing state
legislative districts during reapportionment and changes limits on campaign contributions. The amendment also prohibits state lawmakers and their employees
from serving as paid lobbyists for two years after their last legislative session,
and it requires all legislative records and proceedings to be subject to the Missouri Sunshine Law.
Amendment 2 passed with 65.542 percent of voters. This amendment imposes a 4 percent tax on the retail sale of
medical marijuana. These taxes would be used to administer the program, to license/ certify and
regulate marijuana and facilities and provide health care services
for military veterans through the Missouri Veterans Commission. Amendment 3 was defeated with 68.562 percent of voters stating they did not want the constitution amended with a 15 percent tax on the retail sale of medical marijuana.
Amendment 4 passed with 52.367 percent of Missouri voters saying they did want language removed that limits bingo game advertising.
Voters approved Proposition B with 62.270 percent of votes. This proposal amends state law by increasing
the minimum wage to $8.60 an hour with an 85 cents per hour increase each year until 2023.The minimum wage in Missouri will be gradually increased until it reaches $12 per hour in 2023.
Voters defeated Proposition C with 56.495 percent of voters saying no they did not support a 2 percent tax on the retail sale
of medical marijuana nor did they agree with the taxes to be used for
veterans' services, drug treatment, early childhood education and for public safety in cities with a medical marijuana facility.
One of the state's highest profile issues was Proposition D, which voters also
defeated with 53.625 percent of voter saying they did not support a fuel tax increase. This proposition would have generated at least $288 million for the State Road Fund to provide funding for Missouri state
law enforcement and $123 million annually to local governments for road construction and maintenance. In addition, the amendment would have increased the tax on fuels from 17 cents to 27 cents. The last time the fuel tax was raised in Missouri was 1996. Missouri lawmakers have long been looking for way to fund repairs
and maintenance to the state's deteriorating roads and bridges. Legislators in Jefferson City have said they will begin searching for an answer
again when the 2019 legislative session begins in January.
In other elections, Josh Hawley, Republican, beat out incumbent Democrat
Claire McCaskill. Hawley received 51.425 percent of the votes, and McCaskill received 45.466 percent.
Incumbent Nicole Galloway, a Democrat, beat Republican Saundra
McDowell in the race to be the next Missouri State Auditor. Galloway received 50.367 percent of the votes and McDowell received 44.604 percent.
Incumbent Sam Graves, a Republican, received 65.446 percent of the votes for the office of the 6th District U.S. Representative, beating out Henry Robert
Martin who received 31.977 percent of the votes cast.
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Hobbs Baker
Takes Lone Local Race
Thursday, 08 09 28 CT
CAPTION: Amy Hobbs
Baker and family and supporters watch as early returns from
Tuesday's election are displayed in the lobby of the Livingston County courthouse in Chillicothe Tuesday evening. The smile on Hobbs
Baker's face proved prescient as she eventually won the county's only contested office election, defeating Cindy Ireland 930-634 in the Democratic Party primary vote for recorder of deeds. Hobbs Baker will be unopposed in the November General Election, thus making Tuesday’s win tantamount to capturing the office for the next four years. C-T PHOTO / PAUL STURM
CAPTION: Poll workers, with assistance from a volunteer temporary staffer of county clerk Sherry
Parks' office, prepare to take their precinct’s ballots up the Livingston County Courthouse elevator to
Parks' second-floor office following the closing of the polls Tuesday evening. In all, 2,984 ballots were cast in the county, 31.75 percent of the
county's registered voters, according to the clerk's election report.
C-T PHOTO / PAUL STURM
CAPTION: A mix of candidates, family members, and supporters, interested citizens, media, and county
clerk's office staffers gathered in the Livingston County Courthouse lobby for various stretches of time between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening to see the electronic posting of up-to-the-minute results from
Tuesday's combination primary election and statewide issue vote. Given that there was only one contested local-office election to be decided, at its largest, the group viewing the results grew to perhaps two dozen persons at its
peak. Overseeing tabulation of the results and arranging the viewing opportunity was Livingston County Clerk Sherry Parks (standing, center
background). C-T PHOTO / PAUL STURM
Tuesday's Vote
Preparations Complete
08 03 18 CT
Final preparations for the casting and counting of ballots in this coming
Tuesday's county and statewide election contests have been completed by Livingston County Clerk Sherry Parks and her staff.
The routine test of Livingston County's electronic voting and tabulating equipment, in anticipation of the Aug. 7 primary and special issue election, was conducted by county clerk Sherry
Parks in the county courthouse lobby late Wednesday morning. On hand to observe the test and aid with it to assure election integrity were a handful of persons representing
both major political parties, as well as one of the candidates in the lone contested local-office election.
The only county office which has a primary race this year is for recorder of deeds, where Kelly Christopher has chosen not to seek re-election after a long tenure as, first, county clerk and, then, recorder of deeds.
Running for the recorder's post in Tuesday's Democratic Party primary are Amy Hobbs Baker and Cindy Ireland.
The winner of their race effectively will determine
Christopher's successor, since there is no Republican candidate filed for that office.
To have a say in that lone contested county race, the voter will need to ask for the Democrat election ballot.
Beyond that one Livingston County race, there will be contested state legislature and federal office (U.S. senator and U.S. House sixth district representative) elections on the respective
parties' ballots and all ballots, regardless of party (Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, Green, Constitution), will include the Proposition A state statute question euphemistically labeled as the
"right to work" issue. A "non-partisan"
ballot with only the "Prop A" question on it also will be
available.
On hand to observe the test and aid with it to assure election integrity were, from
Parks' right, Democratic Party judge Gloria Miller, Republican Party judge Louise Reasoner, deputy county
clerk Wendy Moss, and Amy Hobbs Baker, one of the two candidates in the lone county office primary race.
C-T PHOTO / PAUL STURM
Candidate
Filing Closes for Primary
03 29 18
The candidate filing period closed at 5 p.m. Tuesday for the August 7 primary election. The primary and general elections will see one countywide race, one circuit judge race, and races for state representative, and congressman.
The county race lineup, as provided by Livingston County Clerk Sherry Parks, is as follows:
- Associate Circuit Court Judge:
Michael R. Leamer, 12224 LIV 422, Chillicothe, Republican;
- Circuit Clerk: Jane Edmundson Gann, 230 Garr Field Ave., Chillicothe, Republican; Presiding Commissioner: Ed Douglas 2109 Oaklawn Drive, Chillicothe, Republican; County Clerk: Sherry Parks, 828 Grandview Street, Chillicothe, Democrat;
- Recorder of Deeds: Cindy Ireland, 20739 LIV 439, Dawn, Democrat; and Amy Hobbs Baker, 2005 Webster Street, Chillicothe, Democrat; Prosecuting Attorney: Adam L. Warren, 11183 LIV 2359, Chillicothe, Republican.
- The Missouri Secretary of
State's website provides the unofficial candidate filing list of those who filed for the following offices: Circuit Judge, Circuit 43 Division 1: Tom Chapman, Chillicothe, Republican;
Circuit Judge, Circuit 43 Division 2: Ryan W. Horsman, Chillicothe, Republican; Brent Elliott, Stewartsville, Democrat.
- U.S. Representative, District 6:
Sam Graves, Tarkio, Republican; Winston Apple, Independence, Democrat; Henry Robert Martin, Kansas City, Democrat; Ed Andres, St. Joseph, Democrat; Dan Hogan, St. Peters, Libertarian.
- State Representative, District 7:
Rusty Black, Chillicothe, Republican; Dennis VanDyke, Marceline, Democrat
Candidate
Filing Period Opens
Races Emerge for Recorder of Deeds, Division 2 Circuit Court
Judge, State Representative Posts
02 28 18 C-T
The candidate filing period opened Tuesday with several incumbents filing for another term in office and other individuals declaring their candidacies for one of several open seats.
C-T
Photo / Catherine Stortz Ripley
The first to file was incumbent County Clerk Sherry Parks (front row, center). Parks then assisted the other candidates in completing paperwork declaring their candidacies for office. They included Cindy Ireland (front left), candidate for recorder of deeds; Jane Edmundson Gann (front right), candidate for circuit clerk; back, from left: Amy Hobbs Baker, candidate for recorder of deeds; incumbent Presiding Commissioner Ed Douglas, and Michael R. Leamer, candidate for associate circuit court judge. Incumbent prosecuting attorney Adam Warren filed his candidacy for re-election later in the morning.
Three current Livingston County office holders announced that they will not seek re-election. They
are Associate Circuit Court Judge James P. "Jim"
Valbracht, Circuit Clerk Brenda Wright, and Recorder of Deeds Kelly Christopher.
Opening day in Livingston County saw two individuals file for the office of
Recorder of Deeds: Cindy Ireland and Amy Hobbs Baker. Both filed as Democrats, thus creating a primary election contest. Ireland was the first
to file. She currently serves as administrator of the Grand River Multi-Purpose Center. Her work history
includes having served as Livingston County assessor (1993-2001), a deputy in the county
prosecutor's office and a deputy assessor for four years. Ireland, 50, resides in Blue Mound Township. She filed on the Democrat
ticket. Baker is in her seventh year as Deputy Recorder of
Deeds, working under retiring Recorder of Deeds Christopher. Baker, 29, resides in Chillicothe Township. She filed on the Democrat ticket. Christopher, a
Democrat, is completing her second term as recorder of deeds.
Michael R. Leamer, an attorney with 18 years experience in private practice and 14 years as a municipal
judge for the city of Polo, filed for the open seat of Associate
Circuit Court Judge. Leamer 48, resides in Blue Mound Township. He filed on the Republican ticket. Valbracht, a Republican, served as associate circuit judge
since his election in 2006.
Jane Edmundson Gann, who is in her 20th year as
Deputy Clerk under retiring Circuit Clerk Wright, filed for
the circuit clerk position. Gann, 56, resides in Chillicothe Township. She filed on the Republican ticket.
Wright, a Democrat, is completing her fifth term as circuit clerk.
Livingston County incumbents filing for re-election as of 1 p.m. Tuesday are
County Clerk Sherry Parks, Presiding Commissioner Ed Douglas, and
Prosecuting Attorney Adam L. Warren. Parks, 53, is completing her second term as county clerk. She resides in Chillicothe Township and filed as a Democrat.
Douglas, 66, is completing his first term as presiding commissioner. He resides in Chillicothe Township and
filed as a Republican. Warren is completing his second term as prosecuting attorney. He filed as a
Republican.
The positions of Division I and Division II 43rd
Circuit Court Judge are also up for election. The 43rd circuit serves the counties of Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb and Livingston. Candidates for these
positions file with the Missouri Secretary of State's office, along with candidates for U.S. senator, state
auditor, 6th District U.S. representative and 7th District Missouri representative. As of 12:30 p.m. Tuesday,
Tom Chapman filed for reelection as the Division 1, 43rd Circuit court judge. Chapman, Chillicothe, was first
elected to the position in 2010. He filed as a Republican.
A two-way general election race emerged for the position of
Circuit Judge for Division 2, 43rd Circuit, just before noon Tuesday. The office is currently held by Brent Elliott, of Stewartsville. Elliott was appointed circuit
judge in 2009 and was elected in 2010 and 2012. His term expires
December 31, 2018. Elliott filed as a Democrat. Elliott is being challenged by Ryan W. Horsman, of Chillicothe. Horsman maintains a civil law
practice at the Chapman & Cowherd Law Firm in Chillicothe and also serves as the prosecuting attorney in
Mercer County, Missouri. Horsman filed as a Republican.
Also Tuesday, incumbent U.S. Rep. Sam Graves
(R-Tarkio), who has served as the 6th District U.S. Representative since 2000, filed his candidacy for re-election. He is being challenged by Democrat Henry
Robert Martin, Kansas City, who filed at 11:10 a.m. Tuesday.
A race also has emerged for
Missouri's 7th District House of Representatives. Incumbent Rusty Black
(R-Chillicothe) filed at 1:35 p.m. Tuesday. He was first elected to the position in 2016. He filed as a
Republican. Black is being challenged by Dennis VanDyke, of Marceline. VanDyke filed at 1:42 p.m. on the
Democrat ticket.
The candidate filing period in Livingston County opened with the uncertainty of whether the
Prosecuting Attorney position will be a part-time position with compensation of
$73,824 or a full-time position with compensation of $137,745. Livingston County voters will decide Tuesday, April 3
- which is after the candidate filing period closes - whether the position will remain part-time or be approved as a full-time position. The
Livingston County Commission several months ago decided to place this question on the April ballot.
See
related article... >>
The candidate filing period also opened Tuesday for the positions of
township and ward committee men and committee women.
The candidate filing period will remain open until 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 27.
The salaries of the county positions are as follows: Associate Circuit Court Judge:$137,745; Presiding Commissioner: $37,411; County Clerk: $52,520; Clerk of the Circuit Court: $56,752; Recorder of Deeds: $52,520; Prosecuting Attorney: $73,824 (current compensation as a part-time position).
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The primary election is Tuesday, August
7, and the general election is Tuesday, November. 6.
In other news related to elections, Clerk Parks reminds potential voters that the
last day to register to vote in the Tuesday, April 3, municipal election is Wednesday, March 7, at 5 p.m.
Individuals who would like to register to vote in Livingston County or change their address due to a recent move may do so at the Livingston County
clerk's office. Regular office hours are from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. On March 7, the office will be open until 5 p.m.
Special arrangements can be made by calling the
clerk's office, Parks stated.
Individuals will be required to show appropriate identification. Anyone with questions may contact the county
clerk's office at 660-646-8000, ext. 3. |
