Mayoral split

By RAY COONEY, KATHRYNE RUBRIGHT and JACK RONALD
The Commercial Review
The city that tends to lean Republican decided overwhelmingly to keep its Democrat mayor.
The one that tends to lean Democrat chose to replace theirs with a Republican.
Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman dominated in his bid for a second term, racking up more than 68 percent of the vote in defeating Republican Milo Miller Jr. Democrats swept the top offices in the city, with Lori Aker Ferguson edging Mickey Scott for clerk-treasurer by 21 votes.
“It’s very humbling and very rewarding that the voters felt like we have done a lot of positive things,” said Geesaman. “Milo is a very worthy opponent. I wish him well … and thank him for running a great campaign …
“We have a vision of what we want to accomplish the next four years. We want to move forward, go back to work tomorrow and put our nose back to the grindstone and tackle the issues the City of Portland has been facing for quite a few years and let’s come up with solutions on it.”
Meanwhile in Dunkirk voters selected a new mayor for the sixth election in a row as Republican Gene Ritter topped incumbent Democrat Dan Watson in a rematch of the 2011 race.
“I’m tickled to death,” said Ritter, who topped Watson 206-173. “I’m speechless. I don’t know how to describe it.”
The evening was a celebration throughout for Geesaman, as Democrats gathered in the conference room at Holiday Inn Express erupted in cheers and applause when WPGW radio announced the results from the first area to report. Geesaman had won that precinct — Wayne 7 — by a margin of 141-65, setting the tone for the night.
He took the second precinct announced — Wayne 2 — by an even greater percentage on the way to an 810-375 victory.
Geesaman attributed the big win over Miller, the chairman of the Republican Party in Jay County and a former six-term county commissioner, to the accomplishments from his first term. Among those, he counts bringing Lutheran Air medical helicopter to Portland Municipal Airport, the construction of Portland Water Park and improvements to infrastructure such as sewers and sidewalks.
“Little by little, we’re doing little projects for sewer separation,” he added. “And then in conjunction with that, what can we do on a short-term basis while we come up with long-term solutions for the flooding? That will be our No. 1 priority, because we’ll never grow as a community until we get a handle on that.”
Miller seemed to know early that a win for him was unlikely.
“It is what it is,” he said after results from the first two precincts were announced.
He noted voter turnout was higher than during May’s primary, but wished more Republicans had hit the polls to vote for him. He wished Geesaman luck at the end of the night.
“They probably thought it was time for me to retire,” Miller said of voters. He served 10 years on county council and 24 as a county commissioner, losing a close race against Doug Inman in the May 2014 Republican primary in his attempt for a seventh term as a commissioner.
Ritter had put a focus on his goal of bringing new industry, especially those with ties to current Dunkirk operations, to his city.
He pointed toward his campaigning as one of the reasons for the change from a 28-vote loss to Watson in 2011 to a 33-vote win this year.
“I was at the polls all day, and I’m worn out. I’m tired,” said the mayor-elect. “But I’m happy to get in there and try to make a difference.”
Watson tried to keep a smile on his face at the Democrat gathering after the results were announced and said he suspected the results might go Ritter’s way. He was bidding to become the first Dunkirk mayor to be re-elected since Republican Grant Fager was unopposed in 1991.
He had hoped his work — mainly turning around the city’s negative image and putting it on the map at the state level — would carry him to a second win over Ritter.
“I was basically running on what we’ve accomplished and what I’ve done over the last four years and evidently they weren’t happy with what I’ve done or they believed what he said,” said Watson. “One or the other.
“It’s disappointing, but hey, the people spoke. They evidently weren’t happy with what I’ve done. So we’ll see what happens. I wish him all the luck in the world, ’cause he’s gonna need it.”
While the result of the mayoral race in Portland was clear from the start, the fight for clerk-treasurer was in doubt until the final precinct reported.
Aker Ferguson had the early lead before a 20-vote advantage for Scott in Wayne 1 pushed her ahead by 10 votes. But Aker Ferguson took Wayne 3 by 40 votes and also won Wayne 4 to oust the incumbent.
“I am just overwhelmed,” said Aker Ferguson, who earned 50.9 percent of the votes in a 598-577 victory. “I am just extremely happy.
“I’m just ready to get out there and help out the community and make a difference.
Like Miller and Watson, Scott wished her successor luck.
“I was pretty proud of the campaign. Proud of what I’ve done,” Scott said.
“It’s a big job,” she added.
The race for Portland City Council’s District 1 seat was the tightest of the night, with Republican Bill Gibson earning a fourth term by just three votes over Democrat Dave Cramer, 127-124.
Republican Janet Powers led a three-candidate race for the two at-large seats on Portland City Council with 674 votes. Incumbent Democrat Judy Aker held her spot with 633 votes, earning a fourth term as she held off a challenge from Republican Dolphus Stephens (614). The other incumbent, Kip Robinette, chose not to run for another term.
Redkey voters selected three experienced council members in a five-way race.
Incumbent Democrat Ted Friddle led the polling with 155 votes, and Democrat Doug Stanley, a former council member, followed with 150. Republican David E. Dudelston, who lost a bid for re-election last year, picked up 98 votes to earn back a seat ahead of incumbent Democrat Greg Curme (85) and independent Larry Sutton (68). Kyle Champ, who currently serves as council president, chose not to run for re-election.
Redkey residents also rejected an effort to have utility rates set at the state level, with nearly 64 percent of voters saying “no” to the question, “Shall the municipally owned utility be returned to the jurisdiction of the utility regulatory commission for approval of rates and charges and of the issuance of stocks, bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness?”
Pennville retained Republican Krista M. Scholer for clerk-treasurer over independent Amy L. Bell by a 60-37 margin.