Local GOP candidates speak to voters
Candidates for Justice of the Peace and County Commissioner gathered at the Bairfield Activity Center last Thursday, February 10, to state their positions and ask voters for support.
The forum was hosted by the Donley County Republican Party. All local candidates on this year’s primary ballot are Republicans.
GOP County Chairman Bill Word welcomed a crowd of about 40 people on a busy Thursday night.
“It is wonderful to see this level of interest in our election,” Word said.
Word said the party is in a “war against complacency” as voters may be tempted to stay home, but he urged voters to be active and said that a study showed if rural Texas could increase its voter turnout from its current 35 percent to 40 percent, it could overwhelm liberal urban voters.
He also urged local Republicans to consider signing up to be precinct chairs so that the local party can get more involved in state politics.
Candidates for the job of Precinct 1&2 Justice of the Peace took the stage next as Republican voters consider their choice for replacing Judge Pam Mason, who resigned in December.
Sarah Hatley talked about her roots in the community and service on several boards including the Donley County Child Welfare Board. She said she is running for the JP office because she believes the proper administration of the office is a vital part of county government.
“This role must be performed with the utmost care and dedication to fairness, and I believe I have the skills and abilities to fulfill that position,” Hatley said. “I will be fair, honest, and firm as the justice of the peace.”
Hatley, who has had a career in education for ten years, said her profession is not the same as it was when she started and said the opportunity to run for JP would let her make a change while still serving the community where she grew up and has chosen to raise her family.
Connie Lane, who is also running for JP, issued a call for younger people to get more involved in elections and said she has been getting people to sign up to vote. She is a 20-year resident of the county and raised her kids here and said that she worked closely with veterans’ affairs to get services for veterans while working with her late husband at Lane’s Plumbing & Electric.
As a licensed nurse who graduated from Clarendon College, Lane also said that her first career choice was not what it was when she began and that she seeks to serve in a new way.
“Anyone running for Justice of the Peace should be held to the highest code of ethics,” Lane said, and she promised to apply the rule of law without prejudice.
Kristen Taylor discussed her family and said she talked with former JP Pam Mason before deciding to run for office. She knew after that talk that she wanted to be the Justice of the Peace.
“I learned what the job is about and knew that I could do it,” she said.
Taylor called the office the “court closest to the people” and said that she and her husband own a small business. She said she works every day to set an example for her boys about honesty and integrity.
“I will do my best to uphold the office,” Taylor said. “I will be firm, fair, and unbiased.”
Ashlee Savage previously announced her candidacy for the JP of Precinct 1&2. She told the Enterprise on February 1 that she had withdrawn from the election. Her name still appears on the ballot, but she was not mentioned at the candidates’ forum.
Candidates for Precinct 4 County Commissioner were the next to speak.
Challenger Brad Dalton said that the purpose of government at any level is to serve the people. Following a career as a lineman for Southwestern Public Service, he retired to land near Alanreed that was settled by his family at the turn of the 20th century.
“I know about hard work and believe that if a person has a job, they should do that job,” Dalton said. “I will listen and use funds wisely for the best use of the county.”
Incumbent Commissioner Dan Sawyer said his roots in the county go back to 1874 with his great-grandfather serving as one of the early commissioners. He pointed out that Donley County is the fifth poorest county out of 254 in the state due to a lack of mineral and oil wealth, but he said that the county has built a positive fund balance without raising taxes while still taking care of county business in the eleven years he has been in office.
He pointed to improvements like the new JP office in Precinct 3&4, the maintenance and care of the 1890 Courthouse, and his role in negotiating wind energy developments along with other accomplishments during his tenure.
Sawyer was also proud of an outreach the county did this school year by inviting students to participate in commissioners’ court to learn more about local government.
Donley County Judge John Howard was the evening’s final speaker as he discussed the progress the county has made with the efficient use of funds, while still keeping taxes low.
Lady Broncos advance to Area
The Clarendon Lady Broncos clinched the Bi-District Championship Monday night with a 32-26 win over Stratford in Amarillo.
The win moves the Ladies to the Area Championship game, which will be held this Friday, February 18, against Bovina.
The game will be played at Canyon High School at 7:30 p.m. Details of the bi-district game and the area game will be printed in next week’s issue.
The Lady Broncos had little problems getting the win over Memphis at home last Tuesday night. In total control of the game, the ladies earned a 59-33 win.
Clarendon jumped on the Cyclones early and took a 33-10 lead into the locker room. Finley Cunningham put in nine points in the second quarter to help seal the win early in the game. Memphis struggled to put shots away and points on the board, while the Lady Broncos took advantage of turnovers and missed shots. Makenna Shadle turned up the heat in the final eight minutes and added six points in the win.
Cunningham led the way with 17 points that included five three-pointers. Shadle ended the game with 13 and Madie Smith helped with 10. Hayden Elam and Graci Smith put eight each and Courtlyn Conkin had two.
Grett Betts
Grett Betts, 58, of Clarendon died Friday, February 11, 2022, in Clarendon.
Services were held on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, in Robertson Funeral Directors Saints’ Roost Chapel in Clarendon. Graveside services with Masonic Rites followed at Memorial Park Cemetery in Vega.
Arrangements are under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Grett was born October 28, 1963, in Hereford. He graduated from High School in Vega in 1982 and graduated from Clarendon College with an Associate’s in General Studies in 1984. Grett retired from the State of Texas in 2014 after 23 years of service. Grett worked for the City of Clarendon as the Animal Control / Code Enforcement Officer and saved several hundred dogs from euthanasia by working with PAWS in Pampa and local volunteers and fosters.
Grett married Miranda J. Holt from Quanah on August 12, 2015, in Hedley. They have four dogs, Murphy, Andy, Romeo and Lucious. (Andy and Romeo were two of his rescues from the city.)
Grett was also a Master Mason and Khiva Shriner for over 30 years.
He was preceded in death by his father: Horace “Butch” Betts; grandmother: Viola Betts; and grandfather: Horace “Pappy” Betts
He is survived by his wife,Miranda J. Betts (Holt) from Quanah; mother, Jerry Jane Betts; sisters, Dania Farah, Sheryl Neddermeyer; son, Will Betts; daughter, Brandi Wann; grandchildren, Maloree Wann, Hunter Wann, Mac Wann, and Raleigh Wann; nieces and nephews, Matthew Farah, Ashton Farah, Josh Neddermeyer, Hailey Neddermeyer, Landon Neddermeyer, Hannah Neddermeyer, and Marie Talinde.
Sign the online guestbook at www.robertsonfuneral.com
Making progress
And the winner is…
Candidates must file by Feb. 18
Citizens interested in serving on local boards have only until this Friday, February 18, to sign up for office.
As of Tuesday, only one board will be having an election, and three boards do not yet have enough candidates for all the seats that are available.
Clarendon College, with six of its nine board positions available this year, has only one candidate so far. James Shelton is running for a full term on the board. Three full six-year terms are available on the college board – the positions of Shelton and Susie Shields as well as one vacant seat. Two partial terms are available for two years – one seat is held by Lon Adams and the other is vacant. And one other partial term is available for four years, and that seat is currently held by Chris Matthews.
Clarendon CISD incumbent Trustees Robin Ellis and Chuck Robertson have filed for re-election. One other open Clarendon school board position is currently held by Zack Robinson.
Hedley Mayor Carrie Butler has filed for re-election with no opposition, and Sandy Wilkinson has filed to run for one of the two seats available on the city council. Aldermen Tom Carson and Danny Russell have not yet filed for re-election.
The City of Clarendon has four people running for three seats on the city council. Incumbent Aldermen John Lockhart, Larry Jeffers, and Eulaine McIntosh will be joined on the ballot by former alderman Tommy Hill.
A full slate of candidates has filed for re-election in Howardwick without opposition thus far. Incumbent Aldermen Mary Grady, Terry Barnes, and Del Essary are all seeking new terms.
All incumbents on Donley County Hospital Board have filed for re-election, including Jan Farris – Place 4, Nikki Adams – Place 5, Mark C. White – Place 6, and Lori Howard – Place 7.
Hedley CISD also has candidates for both of its open board seats with incumbents Bruce Howard and Michael Metcalf both signed up.
All local boards are elected at-large, but hospital board candidates must file for a specific place on the board. Candidate applications are available from the administrative offices of each entity.
Filing continues through Friday, February 18. Elections are scheduled to be held Saturday, May 7, 2022.
Clinic reports 11 active COVID cases
COVID-19 cases continue to decline in Donley County, according to the Clarendon Family Medical Center.
The clinic has tested 20 positive cases of the virus in the last week and reported 11 active cases under its care Monday.
January saw a total of 199 positive cases, and February’s total through this week is 20 positive cases.
With this week’s total’s, the clinic has confirmed a total of 908 cases of the virus since the pandemic began.
Numbers reported by the clinic do not include residents who test positive outside of Donley County or who test positive at home.
Early voting is now underway
Early voting is now underway as Texas Republicans and Democrats are casting primary ballots to select their candidates for this fall’s general election.
Voters of both parties can cast early ballots at the Donley County Courthouse Annex. County Clerk Vicky Tunnell reminds everyone that voter’s registration cards have not gone out but says voters do need to bring their driver’s license or other form of identification to vote.
The county positions up this year are all being sought by Republicans, and only two races are contested – the Precinct 1&2 Justice of the Peace and the Precinct 4 County Commissioner.
Early voting will continue through February 25. Election Day will be March 1.
Following the 2020 US Census, precinct lines have been redrawn in Donley County. Maps of the new precinct boundaries are available below:
Early primary voting starts Feb. 14; Candidate forum to be held Feb. 10
Early voting begins Monday, February 14, in Texas Republican and Democratic Primaries, and the Donley County Republican Party will host a Meet & Greet with the GOP candidates on this Thursday, February 10, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Bairfield Activity Center.
Voters of both parties can cast early ballots at the Donley County Courthouse Annex. County Clerk Vicky Tunnell reminds everyone that voter’s registration cards have not gone out but says voters do need to bring their driver’s license or other form of identification with them to vote.
The county positions up this year are all being sought by Republicans, and only two races are contested.
Three Republicans are running to be Justice of the Peace of Precincts 1 & 2 – Sarah Hatley, Connie Lane, and Kristen Taylor. Ashley Savage is also on the ballot but said last week that she had withdrawn as a candidate.
The JP office is currently vacant after Judge Pam Mason resigned her office in December.
The other local competitive race on this year’s Republican ballot will be Precinct 4 Commissioner Dan Sawyer, who is being challenged by Brad Dalton.
Other local positions are uncontested, and those candidates are Judge John Howard, Treasurer Wanda Smith, Clerk Vicky Tunnell, Precinct 2 Commissioner Daniel Ford, and Precinct 3 & 4 Justice of the Peace Pat White.
Former Donley County deputy Randy Bond is also running for Constable of Precincts 3&4, a position that is currently vacant.
Early voting will continue through February 25. Election Day will be March 1.
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