The Primary Election ballot is no longer empty.

Candidates filed for office right up to the midnight Saturday deadline. All courthouse offices have contested races through November.

Five Democratic and two Republican candidates will vie for the Central District County Commission seat.

Amon Tracey, of Slaty Fork, and Natasha McMann, of Marlinton, were joined on the Democrat ballot last week by Marlinton residents Robin Mutscheller, J. L. Clifton and Gibbs Kinderman. Republicans Jamie Walker and Randy Sharp, both of Marlinton,ﾠ will compete for their partyﾒs nomination.


With no incumbent filing for either clerk position, candidates from all over the county filed for those positions, six for the county clerk and five for the circuit clerk, respectively.

For Pocahontas County Clerk, Republicans Reta Jackson Griffith, of Marlinton, and Mark Jonese, of Green Bank, and Democrats Missy Bennett, and Deborah Miller, of Marlinton, C. J. Totten, of Hillsboro, and Brenda Cochran, of Dunmore, all filed last week.

In the Pocahontas County Circuit Clerk race, Jamie Friel Hill, Connie Carr, Jeff Hefner and Carrie Wilfong, all of Marlinton, filed to run on the Democrat ballot, while Marlinton-resident Paul Barb filed to run for the office as a Republican.

Three seats on the Pocahontas County Board of Education attracted 11 candidates, from all three districts.

From the Southern District, Norman Lee Alderman, Jane Jackson and Cara Rose, all of Marlinton, Jan McNeel and Thomas VanReenen, both of Hillsboro, and David Irvine, Jr., of Buckeye, all filed as candidates. VanReenen is an incumbent.

Leslie Cain, Joyce Friel McLaughlin and Lynn David Jordan, all of Marlinton, filed for board of education from the Central District. Cain is an incumbent.

Northern District hopefuls for the board are Julie Dillon, of Arbovale, and Emery Grimes, of Marlinton.ﾠ

Each district can be represented by no more than two seats, meaning that a candidate can finish third in the race, but not take a seat. The Northern District is represented by Kenneth Vance and the Central District is represented by Margaret Worth, both of whom took office two years ago. Each of those districts can be represented by one more seat.

Although incumbent board member Ernie Shaw, Central District, got more votes than challenger Harlan Kinnison, Southern District, in 1980, Kinnison took the seat because the top two vote-getters were Richard Grosclose and Whitman Hull, both from the Central District.

The successful board of education candidates will take office July 1.

The 37th District House of Delegates race lured five Democrats and one Republican to file for that office. Incumbent Mike Ross, who was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Bill Proudfoot, who was killed in 2008, is not seeking election.

However, the other incumbent, Democrat Bill Hartman, did file, along with fellow Democrats Denise Campbell and Robbie Morris, both of Elkins, Earl Maxwell, of Dailey, and Kent Price, of Beverly. Joan Hinzman Sharp, a Valley Head Republican, will challenge the top two vote-getters from the Democrat race in November.


State Senator Walt Helmick is unopposed in the Democratic Primary, but will face Republican challenger Page Noe, of Hampshire County, in November.

Nick Rahall, II, will be challenged for his seat in the U. S. House of Representatives in the Democratic Primary Election by Bruce Barilla, of Bluefield. Republicans Lee Bias, of Barboursville, Marty Gearheart, of Bluefield, Conrad Lucas, II, of Huntington, and Elliott ﾓSpikeﾔ Maynard, of Williamson, will vie for the seat, as well.

Brian Beverage is unopposed in both elections for county surveyor. Beverage, of Marlinton, is a Democrat.

In committee races:

Democratic Executive Committee: Bill McMann, Marlinton; Matthew Tate, Hillsboro; Sue Ann Heatherly, Green Bank; Ed Tallman, Green Bank; Christine Smith, Hillsboro.

Democrat 15th Senatorial Executive Committee: Loretta Malcomb, Marlinton; Bill McMann, Marlinton.

Democratic 37th Delegate District Executive Committee: Sue Ann Heatherly, Green Bank; Ed Tallman, Green Bank.

Republican Executive Committee: Jeremy Bauserman, Bartow; Joseph Smith, Marlinton.

Republican 15th Senatorial Executive Committee: Jeremy Bauserman

State Republican Executive Committee: Karen McCoy

Greenbrier Valley Conservation Supervisor: Jerry Clifton, Marlinton


The Primary Election will be held May 11, the General Election on November 2.