Grills edges Davison to win sheriff's race
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

With only 18.6 percent of registered voters going to the polls on Tuesday, voter turnout in Ripley County was very low. There are 21,251 registered voters and only 3880 ballots were cast, according to preliminary information from the Ripley County Clerk’s Office, just moments after the election results were in.

In a close race on the Republican ticket for sheriff, challenger Thomas “Tom” Grills edged incumbent Sheriff Bill Davison by 60 votes to win the Primary and have the opportunity to run in the fall election. Grills had 1324 votes with Davison coming in at 1264.

Before any of the votes were counted, family members of Grills settled in at the courthouse to support their candidate and watch the numbers. The night was intense as the results of the precincts began to roll in one by one. Grills was cautiously optimistic from the beginning and on the morning after election night noted, “I’m pleased with the outcome.” He further stated his campaign was about “principle” and he’s looking forward to the fall. “It’s what you do when nobody’s watching that’s important,” he said, adding, “law enforcement is a service.”

Incumbent Davison watched the numbers closely as they came in. While he was disappointed with the final figures, he wasn’t disappointed in the support he received from voters in this county.

RCSD Deputy Bill Dramann, who served as sheriff for eight years (1996-2004), easily won his race against Theodore Popp, winning 954 votes to Popp’s 139. He said he is looking forward to the challenge in the fall and hopes to take his place as sheriff once again to serve the people of this county.

Another race that was closely watched by those voting in the Milan community, was that of the Milan School Board. There were 11 candidates for voters to choose from. The biggest upset in that race was Randy Kirk winning over eight-year member Stephanie Baker by 86 votes. Kirk had 489 votes and Baker had 403. Kirk commented, “I’m ready to get to work.” Justin Bushorn was also a contender in the race for the school board position for Washington Township coming in with 137 votes. Timothy Tuttle won the at-large seat by 41 votes. Tuttle had 313 votes; Paul Newton, 224; Yatzie Roysden, 272; Bonnie Jean Volz, 109; and Kenneth J. Weston, 116. Gregory Lewis came in with 531 votes for the Franklin Township school board seat. Eric M. Riehle had 345 and Donald Welti with 127.

Deanne Young will retain her seat on the Jac-Cen-Del School Board. She had 577 votes with challenger Cecil Bultman Jr. having 215 votes. John Billman and Kathleen Dickman were unopposed.

Other races that were challenged included:
• Surveyor - Republican incumbent Jeff French took the lead with 1780 votes to Rob Seig’s 798.
• Assessor - Republican incumbent Shawna F. Bushhorn had 1942 votes to Gary Palastro’s 468.
• Washington Township Trustee - Democrat Arlin D. Hooker had 77 votes to win over Ruby McDonald, who had 65 votes. Hooker will face Ronald Denton on the Republican ticket in the fall.
For Ripley County, Republican incumbent for US Senator Mike Sodrel took the lead with 2002 votes over Sam Schultz’s 482 votes. Republican State Representative for District 69 Billy Bright won over Brent Mullikin by 89 votes.

On the Democrat ticket, Baron Hill had 897 votes, Gretchen Clearwater, 108, John Hockersmith, 34, and Lendall B. Terry, 78.

The race for Brown Township Trustee was between incumbent Harold Stegemoller and challenger Amy Copeland. The two tied for the seat each garnering 86 votes. Protocol will be followed according to election laws with Republican County Chairman Kenneth Copeland possibly having the final say, according to Clerk Ginger Bradford.

Republican incumbent Commissioner Robert Reiners was uncontested in the Primary but will face Democrat Lloyd Richter in the fall for the District 1 seat. The County Council seat that will be vacated by Bill Dramann will be between Republican Juanita “Dee Dee” Kaiser and Democrat Joe Decker, both of Batesville.

County seats that were uncontested in the Primary included: Council (District 2), presently held by Republican Patricia Dephane Smith; District 3 seat held by Republican David Simon; and District 4, which is held by Democrat Ed Armbrecht.

Bradford noted that while the election process in Ripley County went well, she was disappointed with the low voter turnout.

WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT PHOTO Family members of Thomas "Tom" Grills were in place as they waited for results to roll in Tuesday night, May 2. They remained optimistic throughout the evening and were elated when their candidate pulled ahead to win the Primary. Pictured from left are: Larry and Gege Grills, parents of the candidate; Sidney and Lillian Powell, Glenna Ward, and Ricky Grills, all relatives. RIGHT: Ben Sieverding of Versailles is casting his vote on the new computer machines.