news-record.com

WENTWORTH - Oh, what a difference 18,000 votes make.

Incomplete election returns on Tuesday night showed three Republicans slightly ahead in the race for the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners, but the reverse was true once early voting tallies were added to the mix.

On Wednesday, Democrats Harold Bass, Tommy Flynt and James Kallam prevailed as the winners in the tight race, paving the way for an all-Democrat Board of Commissioners.

Bass, an incumbent, was the top vote-getter with 17.2 percent, according to complete but unofficial results Wednesday. Flynt and Kallam followed with 17.1 and 16.98 percent, respectively.

Robert Wilson received 16.61 percent of the vote, while Stoneville Councilman Jerry Odell received 16.54 percent. Richard Moore received 15.56 percent.

On Tuesday night, the Rockingham County Board of Elections had problems downloading one-stop voting results into the computer system to get a complete vote total for the county.

Tina Cardwell, deputy director of the Board of Elections, said those one-stop voting results accounted for about 18,000 votes.

Elections staff had to manually enter the results from five one-stop locations, Cardwell said.

Bass said he would like to see the county implement town meetings to inform residents about county services.

He wants to extend those meetings to include candidates who decide to run for county commissioner in the future.

"I think the better you're informed, the better you can inform," Bass said Wednesday afternoon.

Kallam has been a consistent presence at commissioners meetings since his primary victory. He said he is ready to go to work for the county.

"The people know that I care for them," Kallam said of why he won.

Flynt said he pledged to voters during his campaign that he would never make impulsive decisions, but rather listen to all sides before coming to a conclusion.

The years Flynt spent as president of Home Savings Bank didn't hurt him, either, according to Harold Vaden, who cast a vote for him.

"Tommy Flynt has an excellent banking background," Vaden said at the RCC Whitcomb Student Center voting site Tuesday night.

The six candidates sought three seats on the Board of Commissioners.

The other members of the board are Democrats Amelia Dallas, the vice chairwoman, and Bobby Stanley. Chairman C.H. "Bert" Jones Jr. and David Isley are vacating their seats.

Stanley said the newcomers should get ready for a learning experience that he likened to attending school.

He said it takes about six months to a year to get comfortable in the position.

"Every week that goes by, every month, you're picking up on something more and more," Stanley said.

Dallas said the board can expect another tight budget year. "We know that going into it," she said.

Still, Dallas said the county will move forward with building a judicial center. She also hopes the proposed equestrian center will become a reality.

The addition of early vote totals did not change the outcomes in other races but made a difference with some winning percentages.

In the Rockingham County Board of Education race, Vice Chairwoman Amanda Bell increased her win over Teresa Barham in District 1, taking 54 percent of the vote.

In District 2, challenger Penny Owens won over incumbent Celeste DePriest with 68 percent of the vote.

Incumbent Nell Rose

took 56 percent of the vote, defeating Hal Griffin in District 3.

In District 5, Chairwoman Elaine McCollum defeated fellow board member John Smith with about 69 percent of the vote.

Of the 59,968 registered voters in Rockingham County, 45,640 or 76 percent, cast ballots in this election, according to the Board of Elections. More than 22,000 votes were cast during the early voting period.

In other races:

State Rep. Bryan Holloway received 63 percent of the vote over Democrat Ed Gambill in the race for the 91st District, which represents Rockingham and Stokes counties.

David P. Joyce took 43 percent of the vote in the four-way race for Soil and Water Conservation supervisor.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126,or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com