Friday's Internet Edition, November 21, 2008.

SLIPPERY ROADS Rescue workers assist a woman after she was freed from her vehicle Monday morning after the vehicle left U.S. 33/119 east of Spencer, clipped a utility pole and landed on its side in the creek. Both occupants of the vehicle were treated at Roane General Hospital and released following the accident. DAVID HEDGES/SPENCER NEWSPAPERS

Spencer police officer and former deputy Mike Harper won the Democrat nomination in a field of five candidates, while businessman Dale Fluharty bested a field of four Republicans for the GOP nod.

Harper received 1,005 votes to top runner-up Scott Tolley, a former deputy serving with the National Guard in Iraq, who finished with 774. Tolley’s family ran his campaign in his absence.

“I’m shocked,” Harper, 53, of Spencer, said afterward. “I thought it would be a lot closer, but I guess going door to door and meeting the people and listening to their complaints made a difference.”

Fluharty, 70, also of Spencer, proved the fourth time is the charm, after failing to win campaigns for sheriff in 1972, ’76 and ’96.

“I feel good about it,” Fluharty said Wednesday morning. “I really thought I would win, but I didn’t think I would win by that amount. Now I have to get out and work hard in the fall.”

Fluharty, who worked as a patrolman for the Parkersburg Police Dept. in the 1960s, received 785 votes to outdistance former county commissioner Larry White, who garnered 294 votes, and two other candidates.

Current sheriff Todd Cole is prohibited by the constitution from seeking a third consecutive term.

In the race for two magistrate positions, incumbent Russell Goodwin the only Democrat candidate, while three were vying for the two Republican nominations, including incumbent Denver Gandee Jr.

Political newcomer Jason Bennett received the most votes, 694, to Gandee’s 664, but both will be on the ballot in the fall. Coming in third was Linda Nichols-McCarty, who finished with 577.

Several candidates ran without any opposition, including assessor Emily Westfall and county commissioner Rodney Cox.

Prosecuting attorney Mark Sergent was unopposed on the Democrat ticket, as was challenger Josh Downey on the GOP ballot. That race could have a third candidate this fall. Public defender Teresa Monk has announced she intends to run as an independent candidate.

Another name not on the ballot Tuesday that will be before voters this fall is in the State Senate race in the 4th Senatorial District, where incumbent Karen Facemyer of Ripley was unopposed in the Republican primary.

Democrat executive committees from Jackson, Mason, Putnam and Roane have selected Rocky Holmes, 31, of Ravenswood to challenge Facemyer this fall. Holmes is an attorney with the public defenders’ office in Roane and Calhoun counties.

In the 3rd Senatorial District, Republican Donna Boley faced no opposition from either party. The same is true of Delegate Bob Ashley (R-Roane) in the 11th Delegate District.

Circuit Judges Tom Evans and David Nibert and Family Court Judge Larry Whited also had no challengers from either party in their re-election bids.

Voter turnout in Roane County was over 47 percent. Of the 4,396 ballots cast, which included 1,197 early voters and 59 absentees, more than 62 percent cast a Democrat ballot, while only 34 percent voted a Republican ballot.

This was the first election in which independent voters could request either a Democrat or Republican ballot, but there were still 125 who voted only in the non-partisan school board race.