Newton wins Justice of the Peace race
By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – While there weren’t many contested races (especially on the Democrats’ side), the Primary Election has decided who the next Justice of the Peace will be and who will represent the city of Safford and the town of Thatcher. A total of 4,642 ballots were cast (1,088 on election day, 3,404 Republican, 1,174 Democratic). Voter turnout was 20.41 percent.
The Graham County Board of Supervisors previously unanimously appointed Stephanie Newton, Chief Court Clerk at the Gila Valley Municipal Court, as Interim Justice of the Peace to complete the term of former Judge Wyatt J. Palmer.
After the second release of vote totals, Newton (2,075 votes) was so far ahead of Michael Andazola (1,123 votes) that the Gila Herald has called the race for Newton. She will now run unopposed in the general election in November.
Graham County Elections Director Hannah Duderstadt said the primary went smoothly with no troubles, issues, or anything out of the ordinary.
“We have a great team, and it went really well,” Duderstadt said. “I’m really proud of our team.”
Safford City Council
A return of a former member has shaken up the Safford City Council.
As of the most recent data release, incumbent Luke Arbizo led the way with 881 votes, followed by former council member Mary Bingham with 720 votes and incumbent Steve McGaughey with 679 votes. A total of 592 votes are needed for outright victory since a candidate needs 50 percent plus one of one-third of the votes.
On the outside looking in currently are Vice-Mayor Arnold Lopez with 638 votes, and newcomers Jacob Garcia with 396 votes, and Monique Ungerman with 236 votes. Safford still has 50 early votes to count, but it would be unusual to see the results change from how they are now.
Thatcher Town Council
It looks like more of the same in Thatcher as Mayor Jenny Howard leads the way with 571 votes, followed by incumbent Mike McEuen with 475 votes and Ryan Allen with 448 votes. A total of 360 votes are needed for an outright victory.
Currently on the outside looking in are Eric Wright with 405 votes and Brandon Homer with 255 votes. Thatcher still has 67 early votes to count. While technically not impossible, it is highly improbable that the results will change from what they are now.
State races
For State Representative District 19 on the Republican side, David Gowan got the nod for the November general election with 14,570 votes, and Lupe Diaz will be the second representative candidate with 10,653 votes compared to 7,679 for newcomer Cheryl Caswell.
For Superintendent of Public Instruction, Kimberlee Yee leads incumbent Tom Horne by 32,929 votes and appears to have defeated him.
