Sun, Jul 05 2009
|
Published July 16, 2008 10:28 am - Despite being a Republican runoff, local Democrat Party officials were on hand at the civic center Tuesday. Democratic Party Chairman Keith D. Bugler said his party benefited from the runoff-election. Graves wins runoff election By David Lazenby The Cullman Times CULLMAN — By David Lazenby
davidl@cullmantimes.com James Graves became the Republican candidate for Cullman County Commission Chairman Tuesday, the result of a run-off election that pitted him against incumbent Wiley Kitchens. Graves bested Kitchens by only 56 votes, winning the nomination with 1,456 nods to Kitchens’ 1,400 votes. The run-off election became necessary by law when neither candidate was able to garner 50.5 percent of the votes cast in the June 3 primary election. That primary election indicated an advantage for Kitchens who grabbed more than 43 percent of votes cast, leading Graves 2,059 to 1,605. Graves, who will face Democrat Pete Tucker in the Nov. 4 general election, attributed Tuesday’s victory to daily visits to Cullman County homes where he asked citizens for their support. “I started in the Northridge subdivision north of town and I went house to house,” said Graves, 65. “I didn’t get every house, but I got the vast majority of them.” Graves also said campaign spending played a role in his nomination. He estimated he spent about $8,000 on his campaign. As votes were being counted at the Cullman Civic Center, Kitchens appeared calm, never leaving his seat in front of a results board. Despite being behind throughout the night, Kitchens said, “You run a campaign, you do the best you can, then you put it back there and let the voters make their choice.” Kitchens said historically in Cullman County few county commission chairmen have been elected to a second term. Kitchens said the last Cullman County Commission Chairman to win the seat twice in a row was Randall Shedd, who held the position for back-to-back terms in the 1970s. Despite being a Republican runoff, local Democrat Party officials were on hand at the civic center Tuesday. Democratic Party Chairman Keith D. Bugler said his party benefited from the runoff-election. “We’re saving money,” said Kugler, who said Tucker will be able to concentrate his efforts at a later time closer to election day. Tucker was less optimistic. He said he has already started campaigning. “For the last six weeks I’ve been working very hard to let people know there is someone else running. I think I have pretty well covered the county,” he said. 
More from the Local News section
Holly Pond man arrested on child sex abuse charges Holly Pond WWII veteran receives Bronze Star |
Print this story
Post to del.icio.us
 |
 |
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
© 2007, The Cullman Times
300 4th Ave. SE; Cullman, AL 35055 Phone: (256) 734-2131; Fax: (256) 737-1006 Send us your news tips & comments. 
|
Popular Business directory links - Cullman Apartments | Cullman Attorneys | Cullman Auto Dealers | Cullman Auto Parts | Cullman Auto Repair | Cullman Beauty Salons | Cullman Car Rental | Cullman Dentists | Cullman Doctors | Cullman Flowers | Cullman Hotels | Cullman Insurance | Cullman Loans | Cullman Mortgages | Cullman Movers | Cullman Pizza | Cullman Realtors | Cullman Restaurants | Cullman Storage | Cullman Tax Preparation | Cullman Travel | Cullman Featured | More...
|
|
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. • CNHI Classified Advertising Network • CNHI News Service |
