Martin, Leonard set for runoff

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 4, 2008

LINDEN &8212; Unofficial results from Tuesday&8217;s county elections show the winner for the district 4 county commissioner seat will have to come to a run-off.

Incumbent Calvin Martin captured 49.04 percent of the vote, while first-time candidate Wayne Leonard captured 27.63 percent. A third candidate, former commissioner George Baldwin, received 23.33 percent of the vote.

Martin needed more than 50 percent of the vote to clinch the election without a run-off, which will be held on July 15.

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When asked what his priorities would be for his district if he were re-elected, Martin said he hopes to pursue getting water to some of the outlying areas of the district. Martin said he would also like to see more growth and development for the communities in the south end of the county such as Dixons Mills and Surginer. Another project on the horizon is looking at paving County Road 36, which runs south of Thomaston, Martin said.

Leonard, a native of Vineland, ran for the first time this election. He works with the state Alcohol Beverage Control board on drug and alcohol and enforcement and is a former Marengo County Sheriff&8217;s Deputy.

One of Leonard&8217;s main goals is to push hard for more financial attention from Montgomery, specifically for road improvement projects.

When asked about his first time bid for a county seat, Leonard said he credits his success over a former commissioner to the number of people in the community who support him.

In total, 1,303 voters turned out for the district 4 election. Martin received 639 votes, Leonard received 360 votes and Baldwin received 304 votes.