According to unofficial results of the State Board of Elections, incumbents in Garrett County were swept out of office by voters in primary elections yesterday. The three incumbent commissioners, Crawford, Gatto and Raley are trailing their challengers, which include Paul Edwards, Mayor of Grantsville, and Jim Hinebaugh, former Chief of Garrett County Economic Development.
In District 1, S. Larry Tichnell is leading with 49.28% of the vote compared to incumbent Commissioner Gregan Crawford’s 28.1%. Additional candidates in this race include Dan Brenneman (8.26%), Andrew Harvey (6.66%) and Eric V. Robison (7.7%). Tichnell will face off against Leo Martin, a libertarian, in the November general election.
In District 2, Paul C. Edwards is leading the race with 50.5%. Incumbent Commissioner Jim Raley has 25.1%, while candidates Tim Thomas and Gary L. Barlow have 19.67% and 4.73%, respectively. Edwards is currently serving as the Mayor of Grantsville, MD. Edwards will run unopposed in the general election.
In District 3, preliminary results show challenger Jim Hinebaugh leading incumbent Commissioner Bob Gatto. Hinebaugh is currently leading with 36.48% of the vote, although Gatto is not far behind with 33.7%. Candidates Dave Beard (13.83) Jeff Haines (12.44%) and Chad A. Maroney (3.55%) make up the difference. April Hebden ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for District 3.
Hinebaugh served as Garrett County Economic Development Chief for 17 years, retiring in 2012 according to the Cumberland News-Times. As described by the News-Times,
[Hinebaugh] plans to make restoring and strengthening relationships with state and federal agencies a high priority. “During my tenure with economic development, the county was very successful in building strong partnerships with state and federal funding sources and regulatory agencies. This allowed the county to leverage its limited resources to develop infrastructure and to grow the local economy. . .”
In District 3, Hinebaugh will face off against Democrat April Hebden, Libertarian Bill Welch, and James R. “Smokey” Stanton, unaffiliated in the general election.
All percentage results are current as of 7am Wednesday morning. For updated information, see the State Board of Elections.
