Jeff Harmon, a public defender for the 12th Judicial DistrictKEY ELECTION DATES• Feb. 6: Last day to register to vote• Feb. 15: Early voting begins• Feb. 28: Early voting ends• March 6: Election DaySource: Bledsoe County Election CommissionEARLY VOTING HOURSEarly voting, Feb. 15-28, will be at the Bledsoe County Election Commission office in the county courthouse in Pikeville. Hours are staggered as follows:• Feb. 15, 16 and 17: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.• Feb. 18, 21, 22 and 23: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.• Feb. 24, 25, 27 and 28: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.• Election Day (March 6): Tentatively 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (pending election commission action)Source: Bledsoe County Election Commission
It's been three decades since Bledsoe County had a new property assessor, but Phillip "Winky" Cagle's retirement last year left a vacancy that has attracted a field of five to the March primaries, election records show.
The post is the only contested office on the ballot in March, according to election officials. The top vote-getters in the Democrat and Republican primaries will face each other in the August county general election.
Cagle's daughter, Candice Stults, holds the property assessor's post now but says she would rather return to her former job as deputy assessor and avoid the time-consuming politics of campaigning.
"I'm going on 22 years now," Stults said of her years as deputy assessor. "I'm real content with the position I'm in. There's some good men running. I've known all of them my whole life, and I'm friends with all of them."
Records show Jerry Hankins, Ronnie Sapp and Clifford Allen Nail are the Republican hopefuls and Derek Forgey and Stacey DeBord are the Democratic candidates.
Twelfth Judicial District Public Defender Jeff Harmon, appointed to replace retiring Phil Condra last year, will be unopposed on the Democratic primary ballot in his bid for the remainder of Condra's term.
Administrator of Elections Lisa Wheeler says there are a lot of campaign signs out but little election talk among local residents yet.
"I know the candidates are working hard, every one of them are," Wheeler said on Tuesday.
Wheeler said she remembered DeBord ran once before for the job. She said Sapp ran against Cagle four years ago in the Democratic primary and now is making a run from the GOP side.
Wheeler reminded Bledsoe voters to be sure to bring a photo ID with them to the polls. A photo ID can be any state- or federal-issued identification with a photograph of the bearer on it, she said. A student ID or similar institutional identification is not acceptable.
"They have to have a photo ID unless they have a religious preference, are indigent or are voting absentee by mail," she said.
Anyone with questions may call the Bledsoe County Election Commission office at 423-447-2776.