OGLESBY REFLECTS ON ELECTION

Today, the Board of Elections tallied the final few ballots and certified the election results for the Worcester County States Attorney race. With that certification, I am the State’s Attorney Elect and it is now appropriate for me to reflect on the extraordinary journey that began many years ago.

I am both grateful and sincerely humbled by the incredible encouragement and support the campaign received from the many volunteers who gave their time, energy and resources on the promise that their hard work and dedication would help usher in a new era of accountability in Worcester County. There are many who have supported my candidacy for over eight years. These individuals and their unwavering faith in my ability were the pillars of strength for my campaign.

We knew when we began this campaign that the road toward achieving our goals would be crowded with contention. What now remains of political partisanship must be placed aside. Mr. Todd has spent twenty five years serving the people of Worcester County and rightfully deserves our praise and appreciation. His hard work has helped pave the way for the future we must now build together. The time for new ideas, new directions, and bold initiatives has arrived.

To the voters of Worcester County who were not yet ready to cast their votes for me in this election, I promise to spend the next four years dedicating myself to the unwavering principles of fairness and justice so that I may earn your trust. To the voters who elected me, thank you for your confidence in my ability to protect the values which have helped shape our great community.

With the trust and confidence of law enforcement, there has never been a better time to serve Worcester County. With your continued prayers and support, the Office of the State’s Attorney will protect the present and safeguard the future by bringing accountability to our community.

With appreciation,

Beau H. Oglesby

State’s Attorney Elect

Worcester County, Maryland

Oglesby Holds Narrow Lead In Race With Todd

SNOW HILL — The Worcester state’s attorney race narrowed when absentee ballots were counted, but candidate Beau Oglesby retained a 107-vote lead over incumbent Joel Todd.

When election officials finished counting about 1,500 absentee ballots Thursday, Todd, a Democrat, had received 739 additional votes. Oglesby, a Republican, added 701 absentee votes.

That cut down the vote lead Oglesby earned on Election Day, but did not reverse it.

“This time four years ago, I was up by two [votes], and now I’m up by 107,” Oglesby said, referring to a razor-thin 2006 contest in which Todd prevailed by 14 votes. “It’s a much better place to be.”

Several hundred absentee ballots Worcester officials mailed out to voters who asked for them haven’t yet been cataloged or counted. Ballots postmarked by Nov. 2 and received by the time officals count absentees again on Nov. 12 could still be counted as valid votes.

“We’re quietly optimistic,” Oglesby said. “There’s still enough votes out there to make a difference, so we’ll stand by and see what happens.”

Todd did not return a call for comment late Thursday.

In another close Worcester county race, for District 4 commissioner, incumbent Democrat Virgil Shockley slightly widened his lead over Republican Ted Elder.

Shockley earned 93 absentee votes, for a total of 1,257; Elder garnered 79, for a total of 1,172. Shockley now leads by 85 votes.

www.delmarvanow.com

Worcester County Commissioner Seat - District 1

It must have been a difficult decision for Bobby Cowger to opt out for reelection this year. Lots of Worcestor County citizens hate to see him go.

We truly thank him for being so devoted and wish Bobby the best.

Here is the man that will and can fill his shoes! Merrill W. Lockfaw, Jr.
Just like Bobby, Merrill Lockfaw, is a man you can trust and believe in. He is a man that will work for the citizens and the communities.

Merill has a wonderful family, is a devoted person to his community, his church, fire department and country.

CONGRATULATIONS MERRILL !!

And good luck!

Reggie Mason Elected New Sheriff For Worcester County

REGGIE MASON WINS!!

Reggie T. Mason,Sr. (R) 12,083

Bobby Brittingham (D) 6,709

"My mission and dedication is to continue to serve the citizens of Worcester County to keep our children and families safe. The citizens are the eyes and ears of every community and I always welcome open lines of communication between the citizens and the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office. I am a true believer in giving back to the Community in which I serve. I will be accessible to the public for any needs or concerns that they may have. We need to work together to make Worcester County a safe place to work, live and raise our children. The Sheriff’s Departments success depends on the citizens of this county." Reggie Mason

Congratulations Reggie !!

State's Attorney Race- Absentee Ballots To Be Counted

SNOW HILL -- In a tight race and before absentee ballots were counted, challenger Beau Oglesby had an edge over veteran prosecutor Joel Todd in the race for Worcester County State's Attorney.

Oglesby, who led Todd by 169 votes late Tuesday night, knows what a tight race feels like; he was narrowly defeated by Todd in 2006.

"Four years ago, we were down by one vote on election night and ended up losing by 14," said Oglesby, a Republican. "We're in a much better position now. We're quietly optimistic this will hold but we're unsure how many absentee ballots are outstanding."

According to election officials, 1,500 absentee ballots have been collected and will begin being counted Thursday, although the final results of that count will not be known until Nov. 22. In addition, late Tuesday night ballots from three voting machines -- one each from Districts 1, 2 and 6 -- were being counted manually because of machine errors.

Although Oglesby led in the polls for much of the night, with 14 of 18 precincts reporting, Todd took the lead with 6,669 votes. Just after 11 p.m., however, when all 18 precincts' votes were tallied, Oglesby had regained a slight advantage.

Todd said early in the evening that if he did lose, it would not be because of political mailers from his campaign that the Worcester Republicans called unethical last week. On the mailers, Todd was pictured with several prominent people under a headline that read "Community Leaders Support Joel Todd," although some of them had not endorsed him. Todd's wife and campaign manager, Anita Todd, took the blame for sending the literature.

"If I lose the election, I don't think it has anything to do with that," Todd said as ballots were being counted.

Todd was joined at the polls Tuesday by Lynn Dodenhoff, the mother of Pocomoke City woman Christine Sheddy, whose body was found in Snow Hill earlier this year after she had gone missing. Dodenhoff said Todd was the only man she trusted to prosecute Justin M. Hadel, the man charged in Sheddy's death.

"I believe this is the only man who could prosecute my daughter's murderers," she said. "He's the only man that listened to me and stepped in, got the right people involved in her case."

Other races
In the sheriff's race, current chief deputy for the office Reggie Mason came out significantly ahead of Democratic challenger Bobby Brittingham. Mason received 12,083 votes, while Brittingham took 6,709.

In the Worcester County Commissioners races, incumbents came out ahead, with Commissioner Judy Boggs besting challenger John Bodnar in District 5 with 2,212 votes to his 1,301.

"It was a particularly satisfying win," Boggs said. "The people of Ocean Pines, by an overwhelming vote, demonstrated their confidence in me. I'm delighted by that and I'm looking forward to another four years."

www.delmarvanow.com

Rigell Ousts Nye In Second District

VIRGINIA BEACH — Republican Scott Rigell rode a wave of conservative voters to knock off freshman Democrat Rep. Glenn Nye, recapturing a Hampton Roads swing district for the GOP, the Associated Press is projecting based on exit polling.

Rigell, who owns a chain of car dealerships in Hampton Roads, pushed his business background as the main reason that local voters should send him to Congress, blasting Democratic leaders for deficit spending.

The congressional midterm elections are an important indicator of the nation's political mood, and Republicans were expected to reclaim control of the House of Representatives and perhaps even the U.S. Senate.

Rigell's victory is a boon for the Virginia Republican Party because the district, which includes parts of Hampton and Norfolk and all of Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore, had been reliably Republican for a number of years prior to 2008.

Nye knocked off incumbent Thelma Drake during the 2008 campaign by eking out narrow victories in Hampton and Norfolk and rolling up a few thousand vote advantage in traditionally conservative Virginia Beach.

This year, there were early reports of heavy voter turnout in downtown Hampton at Armstrong Elementary School, which usually breaks for Democrats on Election Day. But further north in Hampton at Asbury Elementary School in Fox Hill Rigell signs surrounded the precinct where Nye gear was hard to spot.

www.dailypress.com