By Lucky Kidd
PAWNEE COUNTY, Kan. — Pawnee County voters Tuesday approved removing a 30 percent food sales requirement for liquor by the drink sales. Unofficial numbers from the Pawnee County Clerk’s office last night indicated 68 percent of voters approved repeal of the requirement to 32 percent against.
Pawnee County voters also turned back a write-in bid by Sheriff Scott King to retain his position. Larry Atteberry, who defeated King in the August Republican primary, received 65 percent of the vote, with a total of 861 write-in votes cast, or 35 percent.
There was one contested local race in Barton County, that for Ward 1 on the Great Bend City Council where Gary Parr defeated incumbent Council member Lindsey Crom-Craven 532 votes to 435.
Three tax issues before voters in the Golden Belt passed Tuesday, In Great Bend voters approved the continuation of a half percent sales tax that is used for public safety equipment, economic development and property tax relief. Unofficial vote totals from the Barton County Clerk’s office indicated 70 percent of voters favored renewal to 30 percent against.
Voters in Ellinwood USD 355 also approved an $8.5 million bond issue by a 55-45 percent margin, proceeds from that to be used for improvements to district facilities.
In Edwards County a .375 percent sales tax to support economic development activities was approved by a 53-47 percent margin.
State Representative Tory Marie Blew of Great Bend will be moving to the Kansas Senate in January. Blew defeated Matthew Westenfeld of Lyons 81 to 19 percent in Tuesday’s general election in the 33rd Senate District. Blew will succeed Alicia Staub of Ellinwood, who gave up the Senate seat to make an unsuccessful run for Barton County Clerk.
Elected to succeed Blew in the 112th House District, which includes most of Barton County except for the Ellinwood and Pawnee Rock areas, was Sherri Brantley who took 72 percent of the vote to 28 percent for Mark Rondeau.
State Representative Brett Fairchild of Great Bend was re-elected in the 113th district that includes most of the rest of the Golden belt, getting 77 percent of the vote to 23 percent for Jo Ann Roth of Ellinwood.
Preliminary indications are Republicans will maintain their super-majorities in the Kansas Legislature, if not increase them slightly. One of the most intensely fought races in the state was the 102nd House District in Hutchinson where Republican Kyler Sweely knocked off incumbent Democrat Jason Probst, the westernmost Democrat in the Legislature.
All three Incumbent House members in the Kansas Congressional Delegation won re-election Tuesday. Republicans Tracey Mann in the Big 1st District and Ron Estes in the 4th district won by wide margins, as did Democrat Sharice Davids in the 3rd. Joining them in the House half of Congress will be former Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who defeated former Congresswoman Nancy Boyda in the open 2nd District.
As of 3 a.m. and with just four precincts yet to report, Donald Trump received 57 percent of the Presidential Vote to 41 percent for Kamala Harris. Preliminary numbers from last night indicated Harris was only able to carry four of the seven counties that Governor Laura Kelly carried in both of her gubernatorial wins, losing to Trump in Lyon, Sedgwick and Shawnee counties and carrying only the university counties of Douglas and Riley, and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in the Kansas City Metropolitan area with Trump taking Shawnee County 31 votes and Harris Riley County by 291 votes.
In LaCrosse, Alan Sramek defeated Gabriel Proffitt for an unexpired term on the City Commission.
