It was close. One hopeful was happy, the other disappointed after falling 11 verified signatures short.
After getting the official tally, Bud Garner is on the June 26 Republican primary ballot, while Tim Hunter is left on the sidelines.
County Clerk Carol Tullis on Tuesday afternoon announced that Garner, a District 2 candidate had 342 sufficient signatures and will be placed on the ballot. He made the ballot with just 16 valid signatures to spare.
Hunter needed 278 sufficient signatures but ended up with only 267 signatures.
Hunter last week was upbeat at his chances of appearing on the June 26 primary election ballot because he said he had collected more than 330 signatures.
Tullis said Hunter turned in 334 signatures, but 67 of these were rejected for various reasons and added some of the signatures he turned in has already been crossed off by the candidate.
Garner will now join Keenan Ertel and Pat DeGagne-Rule on the District 2 ballot. Ertel was selected at the county assembly, while DeGagne-Rule, who is wife of a current outgoing commissioner, petitioned her way onto the ballot.
District 3 county commissioner candidates are former commissioner Dwayne Findley and Casey McClellan.
Two unaffiliated District 3 candidates are trying to collect enough signatures to be placed on the general election ballot in November.
Larry Suckla and Greg Kemp need to collect 220 valid signatures by June 4, and if they do they will be opposed by the District 3 winner of the Republican primary in the general election.
In the 22nd Judicial District Attorney race, incumbent Russell Wasley still hopes to make the Republican primary ballot. Wasleys petition is now in the hands of the Secretary of State Office waiting to be certified or ruled inadequate.
William Furse is currently on the ballot after being selected at the county assembly.
