It was Super Tuesday across the Nation with 10 states voting in the GOP Presidential Primary for 2012, and locally there were several races in Marion County of interest along with the controversial wheel tax vote.
In the Presidential Primary, Marion County was the lone county in the state to choose former Speaker of the House and Georgia native, Newt Gingrich, with 33.1% of the vote.
For County Mayor, voters chose incumbent John Graham, who was appointed to the seat after the untimely passing of then-mayor David Kirk in December 2010. Graham defeated challenger and County Commission vice chairman Mack Reeves in the county Democratic Primary.
Graham will now face Republican candidate Gary Ellis in the August elections.
Incumbent Judy Brewer wins the race for Assessor of Property in Marion County with 72.7% of the vote over Rick Carter with only 27.3%.
Voters in the county also chose to put the brakes on the proposed wheel tax with 74.4% voting “NO” and only 25.6% of voters favoring the tax.
The County Commission introduced the tax in an effort to offset the $0.50 property tax increase imposed in August 2011, however many residents and at least two commissioners weren’t fans of the proposed tax, fearing it would cause a further financial burden on residents.
In the race for Constable in District 1, incumbent Harvey Allison took the lead with 65.8% of the vote. For Constable District 2, Jeff Stephens beats out Travis Hickman with 59.5% of the vote over Hickman’s 40.5% in what was originally thought to be a fairly tight race.
In Hamilton County, Jim Coppinger handily wins the seat for County Mayor with 87.7% of the vote over challengers William Turner (8.9% vote) and Basil Marceaux (3.4% vote).
Marty Haynes wins the seat for Hamilton County Commission District 3 over Mitch McClure with 57.1% of the vote there.
In Bledsoe County’s Primary, Stacy DeBord wins the Democrat nomination for Property Assessor with 57.3% of the vote, while Allen Nall narrowly wins the Republican nomination with 39.8% of the votes against Ronnie Sapp with 38.1%. DeBord and Nall will now face each other in the General Election later this year.
Rick Santorum won the Primary in Hamilton, Grundy, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Rhea, Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, and Polk Counties in Tennessee, taking the state with 37% of the vote.
Georgia voters chose Newt Gingrich in that state’s GOP Primary.
