Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Voters went with an incumbent, a former commission chairman and a new face in a trio of contested Curry County Commission primaries Tuesday night.
Unofficial results, which are scheduled to be canvassed Friday in a Curry County Commission special meeting, give Ben McDaniel the nod in the District 2 Republican race, Wendell Bostwick in the District 4 Democratic race and Tim Ashley in the District 5 Republican race.
McDaniel and Bostwick face no opponent in the November general election; Ashley will face Paul Barnes, who ran unopposed as a Democrat.
A business owner, McDaniel had previously run once for public office — an unsuccessful bid against then-City Commissioner Fred Van Soelen.
"A lot of it," McDaniel said, "(was) I think people wanted and needed a change in their representation on the commission, and that's what helped me."
While he was disappointed with the turnout, Bostwick said he was happy with the people who did show up to the polls.
The vote, he felt, came down to "people just knowing who I am, and knowing I'll continue to work for the betterment of the county."
"I think that I spoke to the issues in my campaign. I felt I addressed the very important issues that faced the county. I got out, talked to people and made sure to address concerns.
Ashley will now run against Barnes for what would be his third county commission term. He was term-limited in 2008, and sat out the election. Caleb Chandler won the seat, but opted against running for a second term.
"I think voters trusted the background and experience," Ashley said. "There's no better teacher than experience, and I had eight years to learn about a lot of issues."
