Voters oust Kolb Tues.

In the end, all the signs and balloons didn’t help John Kolb get elected to a third term.

Kolb was fourth overall in the Republican Primary for Sweetwater County Commissioner, being defeated Jeffery Smith, Roy Lloyd and his co-commissioner Randy Wendling. Kolb only performed better than Allan Jarnagin.

Wendling led the field by more than 1,000 votes, amassing 3,163. The division between second and third place was a very slim margin for Lloyd and Smith. Smith received 2,072 votes while 2,029 votes were cast in Lloyd’s favor. Kolb received 1,837 votes and Jarnagin received 1,378.

Lloyd was ecstatic Tuesday night as he visited with other candidates after the unofficial results were tabulated. Lloyd said he has enjoyed meeting Sweetwater County residents and looks forward to meeting more during the next three and a half months.

In the race for Sweetwater County Sheriff, John Grossnickle defeated Delbert Gray with 2,866 votes to Gray’s 1,743. For Grossnickle, the victory is only another step forward in achieving his ultimate goal of bringing law enforcement and the community closer together.

He said he intends to promote his platform in the coming months, which he said includes solid points aimed at achieving his goal.

In Green River, Terry Leigh was bumped out of the three-way race for the Ward I Green River City Council position. Out of 900 votes, Jim Zimmerman took the lion’s share with 396, while Sherry Bushman finished second with 288 votes and Leigh finished with 216. Overall, a total of 7,969 ballots were cast, 5,174 of which were from Republicans. Democrats cast 2,515 ballots, while nonpartisan voters cast 280.

Other local races

Green River Mayor: incumbent Pete Rust received 1,656 votes, while Mark Peterson received 638. Both continue to the General Election.

Green River Ward II: Michael Shutran received 385 votes to Andrew Morrison’s 142. Both continue to the General Election.

Green River Ward III: incumbent Gary Killpack received 513 votes to Ed Paisley’s 277. Both continue to the General Election.

Granger Mayor: Bradley McCollum received 18 votes to incumbent Sandy Allen’s 12 votes and 10 were received by Anselmo “Hippy” Valerio Jr. McCollum and Allen continue to the General Election.