WABASH CO. – Of all the offices that could be contested in Wabash County this Primary season, the only one that is this year is that of Sheriff.
Wabash County Sheriff Derek Morgan, who took the nod in 2014 and unseated Joe Keeling, has a challenger on the Republican ballot this Primary: Jimmy L. McVaigh, of Mt. Carmel.
Regular readers of Disclosure will remember that McVaigh is the former Edwards County officer who, in early January 2005, fired on fleeing drug suspect Nathan Headley, severely injuring him and costing the county and the village of West Salem an untold amount in a federal civil lawsuit.
McVaigh was let go from Edwards County and kind of floated around to various police jurisdictions after that…and is apparently hoping that enough time has passed since the almost-deadly Headley incident that folks will forget. However, considering the state of law enforcement in the country currently, that might not be a good idea, since plenty of reproach has been heaped upon those who injured suspects in the process of trying to arrest them, bringing that same reproach upon even the larger number of good police officers in the country.
Morgan has proven himself to be an apt sheriff and has overseen a huge number of good drug busts since he took office in 2014, working with Mt. Carmel authorities to ensure that dope moving through the area – including meth and heroin – is caught on a frequent basis, and criminals charged.
There is no Dem candidate on the ballot for sheriff in the Primary.
On the Dem ballot for two other county offices, however, are incumbents: County Treasurer Beverly J. McBride, and County Clerk Janet Will, both of them unopposed and with no Republican candidate listed so far for the fall election.
County board chairman and Republican Timothy Hocking is the only name appearing on the ballot for the Primary’s county board race.
In the county’s various voting precincts are a few names for Precinct Committeemen on the ballot. On the Democrat ballot, in Mt. Carmel 2, former judge Stephen Sawyer appears; in Mt. Carmel 6, Sandra K. Ward; in Mt. Carmel 7, Julia Lynn Wheeler; in Mt. Carmel 8, Trish Snow; and in Friendsville 11, Steven D. Neikirk.
On the Republican ballot for Precinct Committeemen are: Mt. Carmel Mayor Bill Hudson in Mt. Carmel 3; Ed Hicks in Mt. Carmel 5; Joe Judge in Mt. Carmel 8; Susie Wood in Friendsville 11; Charles Reavill in Bellmont 14; and Stephen C. Sutton in Coffee 15.
There are no PC candidates for Mt. Carmel 1, 4 or 9; Wabash 10; Lancaster 12; Lick Prairie 13; or Compton 16.