WINFIELD -- A former Putnam County circuit judge will not reclaim his seat this year, after Republican voters narrowly chose Joseph K. "Joe" Reeder to lead their party in the Nov. 6 general election.
Reeder will face fellow Hurricane attorney Democrat Robert Leslie in the general election to fill the remainder of retired Judge O.C. Spaulding's term.
Votes from all 47 Putnam precincts were completed around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Leslie defeated two challengers in the Democratic primary - Rosalee Juba Plumley, a Poca attorney, by only 202 votes. David Hill, a Culloden attorney had 699.
Former Judge Edward Eagloski, who served as a Putnam circuit judge from 2001 until he was defeated by Judge Phillip Stowers in 2008 by a slim margin, fell short 252 votes. Results show Eagloski with 2,472 votes compared to Reeder's 2,724.
Using the same tactic as Stowers, Reeder placed ads and sent mailers using unflattering results of a West Virginia State Bar judicial poll in the final days of the campaign.
In the poll, released in April 2008, Eagloski had the lowest ranking of any Putnam County judicial candidate. His scores included a rating between "poor" and "adequate in the category of Intelligence/Reasoning Ability.
Reeder raised the most money of the judicial candidates, with $22,357 in contributions, according to financial statements in the County Clerk's Office. Leslie wasn't far behind, reporting donations of $18,850.
In March, the state Judicial Vacancy Commission chose three out of four who applied to fill the vacant seat -- Hill, Leslie and Jennifer D. Singletary, a Culloden attorney. Eagloski was the only applicant who was not chosen as a finalist.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has not named who will fill the seat until the election. In the meantime, retired Putnam Circuit Judge James Holliday is handling Spaulding's caseload.
Spaulding, who stepped down after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease last year, wrote Tomblin a letter asking Leslie be appointed to fill the seat, Leslie said.
"I took that as a great compliment, I'm the only person [Spaulding] did that for," he said. "My first hearing I was allowed to go to by myself was in front of Hobby Spaulding, and I remember it like it was yesterday...he was always a very civil and genteel judge on the bench, so it's bittersweet. I'd rather continue practicing in front of him."
Leslie told Gazette editors last month he'd be interested in bringing a Kanawha County mediation program to Putnam that allows even the smallest civil disputes to get help from volunteer mediators. Reeder said he wanted to introduce an adult drug court to Putnam.
Sheriff
Republican Steve Deweese, a former longtime Putnam deputy, will face Democrat Bud Lett, of Fraziers Bottom, the Kenova police chief and retired U.S. Drug Enforcement Agent, in the general election after easily defeating Rick Parsons, a former Charleston cop, with 70 percent of the vote.
Deweese, who led the race by a large margin throughout Tuesday night, received 3,814 votes. Parsons picked up only 1,628 votes.
WINFIELD -- A former Putnam County circuit judge will not reclaim his seat this year, after Republican voters narrowly chose Joseph K. "Joe" Reeder to lead their party in the Nov. 6 general election.
Reeder will face fellow Hurricane attorney Democrat Robert Leslie in the general election to fill the remainder of retired Judge O.C. Spaulding's term.
Votes from all 47 Putnam precincts were completed around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Leslie defeated two challengers in the Democratic primary - Rosalee Juba Plumley, a Poca attorney, by only 202 votes. David Hill, a Culloden attorney had 699.
Former Judge Edward Eagloski, who served as a Putnam circuit judge from 2001 until he was defeated by Judge Phillip Stowers in 2008 by a slim margin, fell short 252 votes. Results show Eagloski with 2,472 votes compared to Reeder's 2,724.
Using the same tactic as Stowers, Reeder placed ads and sent mailers using unflattering results of a West Virginia State Bar judicial poll in the final days of the campaign.
In the poll, released in April 2008, Eagloski had the lowest ranking of any Putnam County judicial candidate. His scores included a rating between "poor" and "adequate in the category of Intelligence/Reasoning Ability.
Reeder raised the most money of the judicial candidates, with $22,357 in contributions, according to financial statements in the County Clerk's Office. Leslie wasn't far behind, reporting donations of $18,850.
In March, the state Judicial Vacancy Commission chose three out of four who applied to fill the vacant seat -- Hill, Leslie and Jennifer D. Singletary, a Culloden attorney. Eagloski was the only applicant who was not chosen as a finalist.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has not named who will fill the seat until the election. In the meantime, retired Putnam Circuit Judge James Holliday is handling Spaulding's caseload.
Spaulding, who stepped down after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease last year, wrote Tomblin a letter asking Leslie be appointed to fill the seat, Leslie said.
"I took that as a great compliment, I'm the only person [Spaulding] did that for," he said. "My first hearing I was allowed to go to by myself was in front of Hobby Spaulding, and I remember it like it was yesterday...he was always a very civil and genteel judge on the bench, so it's bittersweet. I'd rather continue practicing in front of him."
Leslie told Gazette editors last month he'd be interested in bringing a Kanawha County mediation program to Putnam that allows even the smallest civil disputes to get help from volunteer mediators. Reeder said he wanted to introduce an adult drug court to Putnam.
Sheriff
Republican Steve Deweese, a former longtime Putnam deputy, will face Democrat Bud Lett, of Fraziers Bottom, the Kenova police chief and retired U.S. Drug Enforcement Agent, in the general election after easily defeating Rick Parsons, a former Charleston cop, with 70 percent of the vote.
Deweese, who led the race by a large margin throughout Tuesday night, received 3,814 votes. Parsons picked up only 1,628 votes.
"This has been a lifelong dream...it's amazing I'm six months closer to my goal," Deweese said after about half the precincts calculated confirmed his win.
Campaigning on the motto "A leader at home and abroad" allowed Deweese to tout his military experience.
Current Sheriff Mark Smith, a Republican who has served two terms and cannot run for re-election, has said the county would be well off with either Lett or Deweese as the next sheriff.
Lett and Smith are longtime friends, having attended the State Police Academy together, and Deweese is a former Putnam deputy, who retired last year to run for sheriff.
Both Lett and Deweese have campaigned on lowering the county's prescription drug abuse problem. Deweese said, even though he knows there is a staffing shortage across the country, he'd like to increase the number of officers on the county's drug task force.
The candidates said more emphasis needs to be placed in the school system on drug use and prevention.
Magistrate
While Republican incumbent Kylene Dunlap Brown easily kept her seat, Scot Lawrence, a retired State Trooper, ousted incumbent Kim Blair and received more votes than incumbent Linda Hunt to claim one of the county's three magistrate positions.
No Democrats filed to run for magistrate.
Brown received 23 percent of the vote with 2,874; Lawrence had 2,537 or 20 percent and Hunt 19 percent with 2,392 votes. Kim Blair, who has served as magistrate since 2002, lost her seat receiving only 18 percent, or 2,310 votes.
Lesli Kuhl Forbis received 10 percent, while Ed Absten picked up only about 8 percent.
Blair spent more on her campaign than all other magistrate candidates, according to a financial statement in the county clerk's office. She reported spending $8,293 on radio and newspaper ads and a website, among other things.
Lawrence spent $1,815 on his campaign, records show, while Hunt spent $2,837.
No one filed to run against Putnam Prosecuting Attorney Mark Sorsaia, a Republican, or incumbent school board candidates Jack Coyner and Sam Sentelle.
Republican Andy Skidmore of Poca and Democrat Lee Casto of Bancroft are running for county commissioner. Incumbent Gary Tillis, a Democrat, did not seek re-election.
Assessor Sherry Troyer Hayes of Hurricane, a Republican, will face former assessor D.W. "Peachie" Arthur of Hurricane, a Democrat, in November's election.
Reach Kate White at kate.wh...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1723.
Get Connected