Fernett unseats Louisos in GOP Fayette commission race

May 16—One of Fayette County's most visible races in the May 2024 primary featured the incumbent county commission president, Tom Louisos, facing stiff competition.

On the Republican side of the ballot, Louisos was challenged by Mike Harvey and Greg Fernett.

The expected competition played out in the numbers throughout Tuesday evening, and Fernett eventually captured the upset.

As the first 10 precincts were reported by the Fayette County Clerk's office, Fernett had 42.37 percent of the vote, Harvey was at 30.26, and Louisos trailed at 27.37 percent.

With half the precincts tallied, Fernett maintained a double-digit lead, and he retained his cushion as the night progressed.

With all 40 precincts reporting, Fernett received 1,582 votes (39.95 percent). Harvey was next with 1,221 (30.83) and Louisos trailed with 1,157 (29.22).

Gabe Peña ran without opposition in the county commission slot for the Democrats.

In other races:

—Sheriff — Republicans Jess R. McMullen and Chuck Miller battled it out to have the chance of replacing outgoing Sheriff Mike Fridley.

McMullen, a retired deputy sheriff, maintained momentum through the evening. At the end of the night, he had amassed 2,215 votes for 54.57 percent of the total. Miller claimed 1,844 votes (45.43 percent).

No Democrat filed to run in the primary.

—Board of education — In the non-partisan board of education race, current Plateau District board member Cindy Whitlock ran against New Haven District candidates Joshua Crist and Myra L. Taylor.

Whitlock earned another term on the BOE by amassing 3,467 votes (37.31 percent) through the final reports. Crist was the leading vote-getter with 3,713 votes, while Taylor ran third with 2,112.

—Assessor — For the Republicans, challenger Charles H. Briscoe was attempting to prevent incumbent Harvey E. (Eddie) Young from enjoying another term. That didn't occur, as Young cruised to the Republican nod with 2,899 votes (73.88 percent) to Briscoe's 1,025 (26.12).

No Democrat filed.

—Prosecuting attorney — The sitting prosecuting attorney, Democrat Anthony Ciliberti, was unopposed and garnered 2,088 votes and no Republican ran.

—Surveyor — Democrat Jack R. Booda was unopposed, capturing 1,958 votes, as was Republican Robert Ruffner, who received 3,055 votes.

—Circuit court judge — In the non-partisan Fayette County 15th Circuit, one division was contested and the other was not.

In Division 1, Tom Fast squared off with Kathleen B. Murphy. Fast, a five-term member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, has operated his solo law firm in Fayetteville since 1996. According to her website, Murphy has practiced law in southern West Virginia for over 25 years, and she has served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in three West Virginia counties.

Fast had built up a lead of over 300 votes halfway through the night and eventually wound up with 3,715 compared to 3,018 for Murphy.

Incumbent Judge Thomas Ewing ran unopposed in Division 2, receiving 5,821 votes.

—Magistrate — Two of the four magistrate divisions featured opposition.

The Division 1 slate pitted incumbent Danita G. Young against challenger Mark A. Hurt. Young rolled to a strong victory with 3,914 votes as opposed to Hurt's 2,580.

The Division 2 race featured four competitors: Richard "Rick" Pannell, Amanda Davis, Susie Worley-Jenkins and Shawn L. Campbell.

With all precincts counted, Pannell had 2,364 votes, followed by Campbell with 2,159. Davis collected 1,593 votes, while Worley-Jenkins secured 495.

In Division 3, Sam Parsons was unopposed (5,631 votes), and Matt Jeffries (5,620 votes) was unopposed in Division 4.

—Family court judge — Matt England ran unopposed, taking 5,573 votes.

—Conservation district supervisor — The unopposed candidate was Rachel Prince, who was awarded 5,294 votes.

With five precincts uncounted, country voter turnout was at 25.38 percent.

----The three excess levies on the ballot — law enforcement, public libraries and fire stations and fire prevention units — all passed easily.

With all 40 precincts reported, the fire levy attracted the most support, with the votes running 5,937 for and 1,021 against (85.33) percent. The law enforcement and library levies both stood at around 80 percent approval. The law enforcement tally was 5,516-1,336, while the library levy stood at 5,448-1,380.

The levies cover a four-year period beginning July 1, 2025.

----The voter turnout Tuesday was 28.15 percent, with 7,280 ballots cast out of a total county voter registration of 25,859.

Email: skeenan@register-herald.com; follow on Facebook