Friends vie for commission seat

Parmer County voters on Tuesday chose Democrat Michael Haseloff and Republican Ronald Byrd as candidates for the Precinct No. 3 County Commission seat.

The two, who said they were “good friends,” are from Farwell. They will run against each other in the Nov. 2 general election.

Voters also determined Republican Kirk Frye, Friona’s candidate for Precinct No. 1, would be unopposed.

“I’m very excited,” Haseloff said after getting 122 votes in the primary election. “I’m relieved and excited.”

“Ron and I are good friends,” Haseloff said, adding, “we always have been.”

He doesn’t think the election will cause tension between them.

“I’m not going to say anything against Ron,” he said. “I haven’t in the past and never will.”

Asked how he thought he would do on Nov. 2, Haseloff said, “Everybody knows me. I’m a workaholic. I’ll be a workaholic for the County Commission.”

Haseloff brings road work experience to the seat, he said. And, he helps his brother, Gary, farm.

“I don’t have a lot of experience spending money,” he said. “I’ve never had a lot to spend. I figure if you don’t have it, you don’t spend it.”

Haseloff and Byrd ousted incumbent Ed Corn, a Democrat.

Byrd, who received 97 votes, said he had “no problem running against ‘Mike.’”

“I’m not surprised two good friends are running against each other,” he said. “Not in a small community.”

Byrd, a real estate broker, has 12 years of experience as a school board member and said he’d “make a good commissioner.”

Neither Haseloff nor Byrd has served as county commissioner in the past.

Unopposed candidates are Johnny Actkinson for district attorney; Randy Geries for sheriff; and Jeff W. Actkinson for county attorney.

Also unopposed is Bobbie Pierson for county tax assessor-collector.

In Bailey County, Democrat Juan Chavez will face Republican Lewis Wayne Shafer for County Commissioner, Precinct No. 4.

Chavez ousted Republican Ginger Damron 150-82 votes.

“I was at the City Council for 11-and-a-half years, so I think I have a lot of experience,” Chavez said of his bid for the county.

Chavez owns a cesspool pumping business that is 18 years old.

He recently resigned from the Muleshoe City Council to run for County Commissioner.

“It’s been 11-and-a-half years in the city, and I thought I should move up,” Chavez said. “It’s that time. I just decided we needed to go somewhere else.”

Lewis Wayne Shafer, who has never held an office, said, “I’ve got a lot of thoughts about it, and we’ll know in November.”

Shafer lives south of Muleshoe.

Also facing off will be Democrat Rodney Baker and Republican Floyd J. “Butch” Vandiver for County Commission Precinct No. 1.

Unopposed candidates in the general election are Democrat County Tax Assessor-Collector Berta Darland Combs, an incumbent; Democrat Joey Kindle, County Commission Precinct No. 3; Johnny Actkinson for district attorney; incumbent Republican Sheriff Richard Bradley Wills; Gary Don Gartin, Constable, Precinct No. 1; and Gerry Pierce, Constable, Precinct No. 3.

BAILEY COUNTY

Democrats

President

Wesley K. Clark: 5

John F. Kerry: 163

Al Sharpton: 9

Randy Crow: 6

Joe Lieberman: 7

Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr.: 3

Howard Dean: 16

Dennis J. Kucinich: 5

Dick Gephardt: 6

John Edwards: 51

State Senator, District 31

Elaine King Miller: 189

County Tax Assessor-Collector

Berta Darland Combs: 257, unopposed

County Commissioner, Precinct No. 1

Rodney Baker: 36

County Commissioner, Precinct No. 3

Joey Kindle: 35

County Commissioner, Precinct No. 4

Juan Chavez: 150

Ginger Damron: 82

Referendum No. 1

For or against any efforts to end or privatize Social Security and Medicare programs:

For: 48

Against: 235

Referendum No. 2

For or against a constitutional amendment protecting taxpayers by prohibiting state mandates that require local property tax increases:

For: 149

Against:122

Republicans

President

George W. Bush: 653

State Senator, District 31

Jesse Quackenbush: 22

Lee Gibson: 22

Don Sparks: 37

Kel Seliger: 364

Bob Barnes: 37

Kirk Edwards: 135

District Attorney, 287th Judicial District

Johnny Actkinson: 442

Sheriff

Charles “Otis” Carpenter: 242

Richard Bradley Wills: 516, unopposed.

County Commissioner, Precinct No. 1

Floyd J. “Butch” Vandiver: 209

Jack Dunham: 147

Constable, Precinct No. 1

Gary Don Gartin: 248

Constable, Precinct No. 3

Gerry Pierce: 86

County Commissioner, Precinct No. 4, unexpired term

Lewis Wayne Shafer: 20

• • •

PARMER COUNTY

Democrats

President

John Edwards: 38

Joe Lieberman: 5

John F. Kerry: 114

Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr.: 2

Howard Dean: 6

Randy Crow: 4

Al Sharpton: 5

Dick Gephardt: 2

Wesley K. Clark: 7

Dennis J. Kucinich: 7

State Senator, District 31

Elaine King Miller: 137

County Tax Assessor-Collector

Bobbie Pierson: 215

County Commissioner, Precinct No. 3

Michael Haseloff: 122, will run against Ronald Byrd.

Ed Corn: 77

Referendum No. 1

For or against any efforts to end or privatize Social Security and Medicare programs:

For: 37

Against: 196

Referendum No. 2

For or against a constitutional amendment protecting taxpayers by prohibiting state mandates that require local property tax increases:

For: 150

Against: 79

Republicans

President

George W. Bush: 756

State Senator, District 31

Kirk Edwards: 118

Lee Gibson: 16

Jesse Quackenbush: 11

Bob Barnes: 8

Kel Seliger: 663

Don Sparks: 7

District Attorney:

287th Judicial District:

Johnny Actkinson: 613

County Attorney

Jeff W. Actkinson: 445

Sheriff

Randy Geries: 737

County Commissioner, Precinct No. 1

John Tannahill: 81

Kirk Frye: 345, to run unopposed, no Democrat

John Mars: 57

County Commissioner, Precinct No. 3

Ronald Byrd: 97, unopposed, to run against Democratic candidate.