LOUISA, KY. — Lawrence County is one of the many communities heavily influenced by the Obama disaster and the rise of Trump. The county has gone from a heavily Democrat registered place to what is now red, red, red.
And the registration for candidates for county offices reflects the change with only two Democrats registered to even run for office. many of the most coveted offices are unopposed and filled by republicans and two ‘scardy cat’ democrats switched parties to avoid being swallowed in the trend.
One term sheriff Chuck Jackson has apparently done a great job as he is one of tf not the only sheriff in recent county hustiry with no opposition in either party.
Besides the race for the GOP nomination for judge/executive between incumbent Phillip Carter and school board chairman Heath Preston, most of the potentially hot races are “down ballot” offices.
The Coroner’s contest between incumbent Wesley Heston and newcomer Will Skaggs for the GOP nomination could be a good one as the one between incumbent Co. Surveyor Mike Shapaka and newly converted Republican Cliff West.
Perhaps the hardest to predict is the county attorney’s race that has incumbent (sort of) Brad Derifield, a veteran of former County Attorney Mike Hogan’s office and currently serving as the interim county attorney, and newcomer Johnny Osborne, who also worked in Hogan’s office for a time.
The state senator’s race is not scheduled for this year and the state representative’s position is up in the air according the Lawrence County Clerk Chris Jobe.
“According to the vote by the legislature we will go back to the old 100th district which includes south Ashland and Catlettsburg and all of Lawrence County,” Jobe said yesterday. “But the Democrats have filed a lawsuit attempting to stop the process and delay it (Primary registration) until March and have the election in August.”
Jobe said the apparent representative for Lawrence County is current 100th District Rep. Scott Sharpe who attended the January Fiscal County meeting and introduced himself as the new rep for Lawrence County.
Here is what’s up with the 2022 Primary election:
Sheriff
Chuck T. Jackson (R) Filed 11-03-21 (Incumbent)
County Judge
Phillip L. Carter (R) Filed 11-03-21 (Incumbent) D. Heath Preston (R) 11-08-21
William Spradlin (D) Filed 01-4-22
Jailer
Roger Lee Jordan (R) 11-08-21 (Incumbent)
County Clerk
Chris Jobe (R) Filed 11-03-21 (Incumbent)
PVA
Chris Rose (R) 11-18-21 (Incumbent)
County Attorney
Brad Derifield (R) Filed 11-03-21
Johnny W. Osborne (R) 12-17-21
County Surveyor
J. Michael Shapaka Jr (R) Filed 11-22-21(Incumbent)
Cliff West (R) Filed 01-05-22
Coroner
Will Skaggs (R) Filed 11-04-21
Wesley Heston (R) 11-16-21 (Incumbent)
Magistrate Dist 1
Michael (Mouse) Halcomb (R) Filed 11-03-21 (Incumbent)
Terry Webb (D) Filed 01-14-22
Magistrate Dist 2
John Scaggs(R)Filed 11-03-21 (Incumbent)
Lee Peters (R) Filed 01-04-22
Magistrate Dist 3
David Pinson (R) Filed 11-03-21 (Incumbent)
Earl Boggs Jr (R) Filed 12-15-21
Willis Michael Chafins (R) Filed 01-24-22
Magistrate Dist 4
Rick Blackburn(R) Filed 11-03-21(Incumbent)
Constable Dist 1
Charles May (R) Filed 01-06-22
Eugene Workman (R) Filed 1-24-22
Constable Dist 2
Marcus Bowen (R) Filed 11-04-21
Sam Muncy (R) Filed 11-24-21
William “Sonny” Mynhier (R) 12-03-21 (Incumbent)
Constable Dist 3
Jeff McCarty (R) Filed 12-28-21
Constable Dist 4
James “Woody” Thomas (R) Filed 12-10-21
You misspelled “Matt Bevin disaster”.
“Lawrence County is one of the many communities heavily influenced by the Obama disaster…”
Thank you for posting the truth Mark!
I think we will see a whole lot of red across the country this fall.
Got a BIG chuckle out of “One term sheriff Chuck Jackson has apparently done a great job”. From what has been said he has taken the department backwards. Believe the biggest factor as to why no one signed up was they don’t want the headache of trying to turn the department back around to what it use to be when officers actually took their calls, didn’t blow people off and didn’t take days to respond to calls. He needs to learn how to be a leader and get quality leadership under him. No opponent or not he will NEVER be the sheriff we had before him. Really dread seeing how Lawrence County will be after another term by him if it has gone this far back in 3 years. Praying for LC.
You must be part of the Mark Wheeler fan club. They have done nothing but bash Sheriff Jackson for the last 3 years. Don’t you think it’s time to get over it. If you were so concerned about the county you should have signed up to run.
I got a big laugh also. Only reason no one wants it is that he has made such a mess of the office that it would take two terms to correct the cluster he has created.
“Scardy cats”? If you’re going to make an attempt to pass judgment, you should at least have enough editorial skills to spell it correctly.
Obama disaster??? What Obama disaster? Partisan much, Mark Grayson?
Just stating what we all know.
When you don’t crack down on crime it gets out of hand. Our county is in bad shape. Of course the crooks will vote the sheriff back in. Haven’t you noticed no arrests like there used to be? Just maybe, the good people who would clean this county up, have gave up on this drug town.
Now that’s something Lawrence County can be proud of. Lets Go Brandon!!!!
Heath Preston, You can’t win. You are going to embarrass yourself badly. Just Saying.
Go back to Johnson County and live off of your parents money. Wait, you can’t do that, you squandered it.
Get em Heath!! Out with the old and in with the new. Funny how Phil hadn’t done anything for the county until right before the election, so he can sit back and say, ” look what I’ve done. ” Maybe Heath needs to get that kid from the wrecker service to straighten Phil out again. Doesn’t Phil have pending suits still going on for reasons bc he’s not fair with the voters in this county?
Mark, would you care to update your article to include who the other “scaredy cat” is that switched parties? Personally, I am terrified of felines (and don’t get me started on reptiles and female dogs – yikes!) I’m sure other LC voters with rational decision making skills like myself would find this information critical in the voting process. As well as knowing if each candidate has been vetted by the Kentucky Ethics Committee in meeting the minimum statutory requirements to even run for public office to begin with. But I’m sure your competent staff have already dived deep into this part of investigative journalism, obviously.
To LC Voter….The other ‘scardy cat’ is Circuit Clerk Jodi Parsley, who has changed to Republican after two terms as a Democrat. Her office is not up for election this year.
maybe they aren’t being “scaredy cats” maybe they are tired of what the Democrats are standing for, simply put, corruption and socialist tendencies……I switched to Republican when they Democrats put Obama and Hilary up as their candidates.
What a ridiculous statement to make when she isn’t even a part of this election and TRUTHFULLY, there actually IS another candidate that switched parties and that would be the likes of Johnny Osborne who CAN’T EVEN ACTUALLY RUN TO BEGIN WITH.
Lol I’m sure if he couldn’t run he wouldn’t. What’s ridiculous is you trying to be “truthful” is looking a lot like jealously. Mike was a snake, Brad sits in his chair like a knot on a log and LC needs someone who will be able to turn the office around bc its going to take a lloooonnng time.
when did changing parties change who a person really is????
Trump was a democrat all his life until he decided to run for president he knew he couldn’t fool the democrats so he jumped to the republican side and it worked for four short years.
arc would cease to exist without obamacare,where would lawrence county be then.
Gosh I love Trump. Trump 2024 and beyond!
Johnny Osborne is not a legal candidate. He is District Court Trial Commissioner and he has to resign from that before he can run for another office. My sources in Frankfort confirmed this.
This is absolutely 100% correct. And since Mark felt the need to bring Jodi’s Parsley’s name into this when she ISN’T EVEN UP FOR RE-ELECTION, maybe what he SHOULD have mentioned is that JOHNNY OSBORNE is the one who changed parties for THIS election.
What difference does it make? It’s the job they’ll do. We need some youth and changes in the Lawrence County. Out with the “old” and in with the new.
I have seen several comments on different social media about how bad the sheriff’s department has gotten since Chuck is Sheriff. But not one person has said what the problem is that is so bad??? I just don’t know what they are talking about? What has happened that is so bad? I’m not on either side, just curious what you all mean? Or is it just politics and you didn’t like who won?
Have you ever been around him? I’d like to know his IQ.
I think most will agree that the far left lunatics in Washington and in the larger cities which have been in the spotlight as of late, have done serious damage to the democratic party across the board in pretty much every state at every level.
From big cities to small town America, people don’t like what they see.
These aren’t your grandparents democrats or even your parents democrats for that matter.
It’s not just what we’ve seen in so many far left run democratic cities that have shaken us to our core, but also what is coming out of Washington which affect every one of us.
We have a compromised president who is not only in obvious cognitive decline, but is being directed by these far left progressives with a real vision to change America as we know it, and they are so dillusional that they actually think that the entire country is on the same page as they are.
Poll after poll have shown that the overwhelming majority of Americans are not in favor of the direction we are headed.
Whether you’re paying double to fill your tank as opposed to a year ago, whether you’re seeing the huge increases at the grocery store as well as utility rates, or whether you’re watching our sovereignty being destroyed at the southern border, these are things that concern and affect all of us, and if you let your guard down and allow these radicals to get a foot in the door, then God only knows what can happen. For reference, again….just look at Washington and major cities across the country.
When the nations Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, selected by our president, is an old man wearing a dress and high heels, and when we the people are labeled as bigots for refusing to deny basic biology by accepting this as normal, then that should be a stark reminder of where we are as a nation.
If my grandparents could somehow come back, they would probably take one look at the state of mankind and jump back into their graves.
I also must add that this isn’t fair to those Democrats who have not abandoned the democratic party and what it stands for, and to those Democrats who understand what is happening to our country yet still support this radical agenda because you are afraid to speak up….shame on you I say.