Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 9

Casper StarTribiine Comploto county-by-county election results Thursday Wednesday, November 9, 1994 BORDER TO BORDER. B3 MARKETS. B4 a Ohman GOP elected in state house race Catchpole pulling ahead in contest apparent Miner 'If DEEGAN OILMAN By JEFF GEARINO Southwestern Wyoming bureau GREEN RIVER Sweetwater County voters will send a Republican to the state house for the first time in a decade after Fred Parady was successful in his second bid for the House District 17 seat Tuesday. And in what may be a first for this heavily Democratic county, Republicans will also have a majority on the Sweetwater County Commission after Democrat Larry Caller was defeated in his reelection bid by Republican John Ra-dosevich. Parady, a Rock Springs Republican, ran a strong race and defeated Democrat Colleen Peterson who was making her first run for public office by a vote tally of 1,616 to 1,341, according to election results.

The Rhone Poulenc soda ash company employee was making his second bid for the district seat after losing two years ago to Democrat Ray Sarcletti. Sarcletti ran unopposed in Senate District 13. In another Republican upset, Commission incumbent Caller Caller was defeated by Rock Springs Republican John Radosevich in a not-so-close, four-man commission race. Longtime Green River Democratic legislator Charlie Maldonado who was the top vote getter among the four -won the other open commission seat. With all but one precinct reporting, Maldonado received 7,901 votes, Radosevich 6,662 and Caller received 5,580.

Republican Gunnar Ruthstrom finished last. Maldonado who as a Democrat was a minority member for 12 years in the state Legislature will again be in the minority on the commission when Radosevich joins Republican Commissioner Linda Taliferro on the three-member body. In other races, incumbent Gary Bailiff easily outdistanced independent candidate Larry Paine for Sweetwater County Sheriff. Former city clerk Norm Stark defeated former councilman John Anas-tos for mayor of Green River by a vote of 2,260 to 1,687. With all but one precinct reporting, county residents also voted 7,643 to 6,003 to retain Sweetwater County Judge Bradford Schroeder who was relieved of his duties last December by the state's judicial supervisory commission and was then reinstated by the state Supreme Court in May and to keep an optional one percent sales tax.

But voters overwhelmingly rejected a three-mill levy proposal to operate a solid waste disposal district for Green River and communities on the western and south side of the county. The measure drew 2,663 votes against the levy to 1,554 votes for. Parady, an employee of the Rhone Poulenc soda ash company, will be the first Republican to represent Sweetwater County in the legislature since Richard Waggener served in the House in 1986. And county officials also said Tuesday night they couldn't remember the last time the Republicans had a majority on the county commission. Bailiff, running for his second four-year sheriffs term, easily outdistanced independent candidate Larry Paine by a vote of 9,250 to 4,830.

Paine served as an undersheriff from 1986 to 1990 for then-Sheriff Roger Sims, who Bailiff defeated in the August primary. Paine. had gained enough signatures since the primary to be placed on the ballot as an Independent. Voters also rejected a proposal to levy three mills for the Sweetwater County Solid Waste District No. 3, which was formed nearly two years ago.

District officials had said the levy would have allowed the district to take over the city of Green River's landfill and would have helped smaller communities in the county like Burntfork, Granger and McKinnon eliminate some of the landfill problems they are facing. Voters also renewed an optional one percent sales tax that has been in place in the county since 1974. The tax will generate about $6 million for county coffers per year, including $3.5 million in revenues for Rock Springs, $2.1 million for Green River and $1.2 million for the county. Cameron posts Laramie Democratic win By JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau "CHEYENNE Republican Diana Ohman said Tuesday night that her apparent winning tally for secretary of state demonstrated that she ran the type of campaign voters liked. With 223 of 464 precincts reporting, Ohman was ahead with 61,277 votes, of '63 percent.

Democratic opponent Nick Deegan had 35,836 votes, or 37 percent of the total ballots. real pleased about winning this election," Ohman said Tuesday night. "I worked hard and I think everybody I talked to was interested in what that office was about and the things I might do when I was in office." "I think that's what they wanted to hear and that's the reason I'm elected," she added. Ohman, who is completing her first term as state superintendent of public instruction, said she used only radio and newspaper advertising in her campaign for secretary of state. Her Democratic opponent, Nick Deegan, said at 9:35 p.m.

he was not ready to concede the election to Ohman but would make a decision at 10 p.m. Deegan said from Gillette that the Republican tide seeped into the races for the four elected state offices below governor. "I hoped we could stop it at the governor's level and with the other statewide races they would look at the individual rather than party affiliation," he said. "But that does not appear to be the case," Deegan added. "It looks like a Republican tide all the way down to the cemetery district." JWe made a statement of principle here and I had a lot of Republican support," Deegan said.

The two main issues in the contest were their qualifications for the job and differences on state public land sales. Ohman touted her experience as an administrator and maintained a candidate need not be an attorney like Deegan to serve as secretary of state. Deegan maintained Ohman had few qualifications for the office and was essentially a teacher, while he has a proven record as an frugal administrator, prosecutor and judge. Ohman, he said, relied on her name recognition with voters because she felt she wanted to change jobs. The secretary of state administers the state's elections, corporations and securities laws and also serves as a member of the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners, the Wyoming Farm Loan Board and several other lesser boards.

At the outset of his campaign, Deegan pledged to spend no more than $30,379, which is the median annual household income in the state. He recently refunded some contributions to stay within his self-proclaimed spending limit. Mockler, HD44, and Pam Taylor-Horton, who won a three-way primary race and will succeed Democrat Don Sullivan. Republican Jon Forwood will be the new Laramie County district attorney. Forwood, who accepted his party's write-in nomination, defeated Democrat Bernard Phelan by an almost two-to-one margin, 19,893 to 10,444, in unofficial results with all 50 of the county's precincts reporting.

The Phelan-Forwood contest was one of the most closely watched in the county. Phelan had defeated six-term incumbent Tom Carroll by 150 votes in the Democratic primary, and Carroll recently endorsed Forwood, who had served as his deputy district attorney. The GOP also dominated the rest of the coun By KERRY DRAKE Star-Tribune capital bureau CHEYENNE State Sen. Guy Cameron easily won re-election to a third term Tuesday, but he was one of the few Democrats who posted victories in Laramie County. In Senate District 7 Cameron defeated retired Cheyenne attorney Byron Hirst, a former Republican state senator in the 1950s, 3,489 to 2,065.

Rep. Mac McGraw, D-HD 41, lost to Joseph Selby. Selby had 1,755 votes to McGraw's 1,684. Selby's victory gave the GOP a 6-4 majority in the Laramie County House delega CATCHPOLE MINIER By SUSAN STANTON Star-Tribune staff writer CASPER With 48 percent of precincts across the state reporting at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Republican Judy Catchpole led Democrat Judy Minier in the race for state superintendent of public instruction by a 54 percent to 46 percent margin.

With 223 of 464 precincts reporting, Catchpole had 51,589 votes to 44,740 for Minier. Both Catchpole and Minier refused to make a statement until after 10 p.m. During the campaign, Minier promised to convene a blue ribbon panel to discuss the current school funding system. Monies for public education are currently raised through property taxes and mineral taxes -sources whose value ebbs and flows depending on the economy. At a forum last month, Minier termed the system "archaic" and said it "no longer makes a great deal of sense." But Catchpole countered that education funding is already stable and the future of both minerals industries in Wyoming and property values looks good.

The best thing she could do for funding, she said, would be to work to reduce regulations that restrict mineral extraction in the state. Catchpole said she would call for the Legislature's Joint Education Committee to review economic conditions in 1996 to see if the fourth-cent sales tax funding now going to education would still be needed by the time the tax is set to expire on June 30, 1996. Minier cited figures from the state's Consensus Revenue Estimating Group that puts revenue lost from discontinuing the tax at $46 million annually, and termed Catchpole's position "irresponsible." Both candidates said collective bargaining by teachers was a local control matter for individual school districts. The candidates split on accepting federal Goals 2000 money. The voluntary program recently passed by Congress sets up national education goals and provides federal money for meeting those objectives.

States have until July 1995 to determine whether to follow the voluntary program. Minier said she would apply for the immediate $365,000 Wyoming would be eligible for under the program and said 96 percent of the money would go directly to help school districts improve their accreditation process. Catchpole said she was not sure whether she would apply for the funds and expressed reservations about federal mandates attached to the money. 1 UJ tion, which had previously been split 5-5. The Republicans also held on to their seat in Senate District 5, where Don Lawler topped former Democratic state representative Steve Freudenthal, 3,612 to 2,613.

Lawler, a retired eye doctor making his first bid for public office, will succeed Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who did not seek reelection. The five Republican Laramie County freshmen from 1992 will all return to the House. In HD7, Ace Baty defeated Loretta Wolf, ty races. Pat Barrett, a deputy sheriff who won a three-man GOP primary for sheriff, defeated Laramie County Commissioner Byron "Rook" Rookstool, 19,890 to 10,615.

Rookstool is a former Cheyenne police chief. In the county clerk's race, Republican Debbye Balcaen Lathrop won a narrow victory over Carol Watson, a former Democratic state legislator, 15,729 to 14,337. Republican incumbent county treasurer Vicki Wiant won re-election over Democrat Machelle Baker, 21,759 to 8,010. Republican Brenda Arnold defeated Diana Oliger in the county assessor's contest, 22,239 House District 8 a homemaker in her first try for elective office, 2,420 to 1,791. Rep.

Larry Shippy, R-HD8, defeated Democratic newcomer Linda Koldenhoven, 2,127 to 1,736. In HD10, Rodney "Pete" Anderson topped Democrat Sharon Wisroth, who accepted her party's write-in nomination, 1,975 to 1,301. Rep. John Hanes, R-HD42, easily defeated Democrat Lyn Keller, 1,799 to 554. Republican Wayne Johnson, meanwhile, was unopposed in HD9.

Only two Democrats won contested House races. Rep. Sher-ri Wooldridge, D-HD12, topped Republican Sheldon Campbell 1,274 to 912. Rep. Kathryn Sessions, D-HD43, withstood a strong challenge from Doran Lummis, who accepted to GOP write-in nomination.

to 7,795. Laramie County voters elected Republican Fred Emerich and Democratic incumbent Jeff Ketcham as county commissioners. Emerich polled 15,818 votes and Ketcham received 15,175. Former Democratic state senator Harriett "Liz" Byrd finished with 12,434 and Republican Rex Wilson received 11,602. Laramie County voters overwhelmingly approved retaining the 1 percent optional sales and use tax that has been implemented since 1976, 20,922 to 9,666.

They also approved the retention of a 2 percent lodging tax, by a vote of 21,171 to 9,196. Three City Council races were also decided. In Ward 1, Jim Lynch defeated Sheila Doss, 3,168 to 2,047. In Ward 2, Council President Maggie Carter topped Edward Strader, 4,349 to Session polled 1,368 to Lummis' 1,146 3,312. Joe Bonds defeated the Ward 3 incumbent city coun- Two Democrats were unopposed in their races: Rep.

Jayne cilman, C.J. Brown, 3,164 to 2,784. Platte contender Teton County, lodging tax fails Wright, who is retiring her seat in House District 51 after serving three terms. Burns, a 42-year-old businessman, made it through the Republican primary to face Democrat Logan of Dayton in the general election. Burns ran for the House in 1986 and 1988 but lost in the primary both times.

A Sheridan County GOP committeeman, Burns said earlier he has no specific priorities or legislative interests. He considers that "one of his strengths," however. JACKSON Teton County voters decided Tuesday not to continue a tax used to support promotional activities by a margin of 4,336 to 3,503. The county's special lodging tax was opposed by a group that argued the tax has caused runaway growth because of promotions the tax funds. The 2 percent lodging tax is used primarily to promote local travel and tourism.

The group, "Jackson Hole Is Not a Product," contended the tax has helped escalate growth in the county, bringing with it real estate prices out of reach for most local residents. Supporters for continuing the tax argued growth is occurring throughout the West and that communities which do no promotion also are experiencing high growth rates. They pointed out that tourists, not residents, pay the bulk of the tax, which has helped fund not only promotion during the less busy seasons in the region, but local events and cultural activities. Of Huckfeldt wins in HD 4 contest TORRINGTON With all 20 precincts in the House District 4 race reporting, Republican Roger Huckfeldt was declared the victor over Democrat Bill Marsh, 1972 to 1368. Both men are from Torrington.

Huckfeldt, a businessman, and Marsh, a retired teacher, were vying for the seat vacated by House Speaker Doug Chamberlain of LaGrange. Huckfeldt earlier characterized the campaign as "the lowest key campaign there is in the state." Both men ran low-key, door-to-door campaigns. Both men ran unopposed in their primary elections in August, where Huck-feld polled 1,531 votes to Marsh's 685. Huckfeldt ran unsuccessfully against Chamberlain in the Republican primary two years ago. The 36-year-old owner of a home oxygen and medical therapy business, Huckfeldt said the state needs to promote small business growth instead of trying to lure big businesses to the state.

Marsh, a 59-year-old retireed community college ad-minstrator, emphasized his interest in a steady, stable source of funding for public schools and community DAVID ZALUBOWSKL AP Burns leads Logan in HD51 race SHERIDAN Republican Bruce Burns took a strong lead over his Democratic opponent Mel Logan in the race for the House District 51 seat in western Sheridan County. With 15 of 29 precincts reporting, Burns was leading 1,720, to Logan's 906. The winner of the race will replace Republican Virginia Jim Geringer, Republican candidate for governor, and his wife, Sheri, wait to cast ballots in Tuesday's general election. State Editor Paul Krza. For information, questions and comments about this page, call (307) 2664)582 or (800) 442-6916; email statetrib.com; fax (307) 2660568..