"I voted" stickers sit on a table at the Blue Springs voting precinct in Bradley County on Tuesday.AREA COUNTY MAYOR VOTE TOTALSBledsoe CountyGregg Ridley (R) -- 979Rodney Warran (R) -- 377Grundy CountyMichael Brady (D) -- 1,174Ralph E. Rieben (D) -- 930Lonnie D. Cleek (D) -- 663Wanda J. Meeks (D) -- 429Emily C. Partin (D) -- 352Marion CountyDavid Jackson (D) -- 1,703John Graham (D) -- 1,676McMinn CountyJohn Gentry (R) -- 4,187Kelly Shepherd (R) -- 2,468Charles Carter (R) -- 442Monroe CountyTim Yates (R) -- 2,551Bob Lovingood (R) -- 1,655Ira D. Lee (R) -- 726William T. Bell (R) -- 246Jim Stutts (D) -- 690Polk CountyExecutiveHoyt Firestone (D) -- 1,754Blake Rymer (D) -- 1,262Scott Yates (R) -- 298David Dishman (R) -- 232Note: All results are unofficial until certified.
Even before primary votes were counted Tuesday night, Paul West knew he had a place on the August general election ballot in Marion County, Tenn.
That's because West, an alderman in the city of Jasper, was the only Republican candidate for county mayor.
He was one of a number of unchallenged candidates who sat back Tuesday night and watched as contenders from the other party battled it out for a place on the August ballot.
West will face Democrat David Jackson, who got 1,703 votes Tuesday -- enough to beat incumbent Marion County Mayor John Graham, who had 1,676 votes.
"We had a good, clean race," Jackson said. "I'll be out there hitting the pavement, talking to as many people as I can [for the August election]."
While Democrats have dominated in Marion County, West, who got 485 votes, thinks he's got a shot in August.
"It's definitely been strongly Democrat, but it seems to shifting a lot more Republican, now," he said of Marion County.
Other election results were as follows:
Bledsoe County
Incumbent Bledsoe County Mayor Bobby Collier, a Democrat, ran unopposed Tuesday. He received 339 votes. Collier will face Republican challenger Gregg Ridley, who got 971 votes -- more than twice the 397 votes garnered by his Republican opponent Rodney Warran.
Grundy County
Incumbent Grundy County Mayor Lonnie Cleek, a Democrat, lost his shot at re-election to Larry Brady. Cleek got 663 votes to Brady's 1,174 votes. Also on the Democratic ballot were Ralph Rieben, 930 votes,Wanda Meeks, 429 votes and Emily Partin, 352 votes. Brady will face Republican Aubrey Harper in August.
McMinn County
In the three-way Republican McMinn County mayoral race, incumbent John Gentry took a commanding lead. At the final tally, Gentry had 4,187 votes. Challenger Kelly Shepard took second with 2,468 votes. In third was Tracy Carter, with 442 votes. There was no Democratic candidate, which essentially makes this Gentry's re-election.
Monroe County
Incumbent Republican Mayor Tim Yates won the hotly contested Republican primary.
Yates had 2,551 votes when the final tally was done. Republican challenger Bob Lovingood followed with 1,655. Next was Irad Lee with 726 votes and William Bell with 246.
Democrat Jim Stutts got 690 votes.
Polk County
Polk County totals showed that mayoral race incumbent, Hoyt Firestone, won the Democratic primary with 1,754 votes. Fellow Democrat Blake Rymer came in second with 1,262.
Firestone will face Republican candidate Scott Yates, who got 298 votes, beating Republican David Dishman, who received 232 votes.
Contact staff writer Tim Omarzu at tomarzu@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6651.
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.