Leming elected to Quorum Court; Deakins beats Upton

FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County will have a new District 13 justice of the peace after Willie E. Leming won the Republican primary election over incumbent Joel Maxwell, according to unofficial, preliminary results.

“Good deal!” Leming said when told he won.

Leming, of Lincoln, said he was grateful in voters for trusting in him and thanked Maxwell for his service. District 13 covers western Washington County.

No Democratic candidate has run for the position, which means Leming will join the Quorum Court next year.

Maxwell, 47, had said he couldn’t serve another term, but missed the deadline to withdraw his name from the ballot. Maxwell will serve the remainder of his term that ends Dec. 31.

Leming, 53, who is also the Lincoln fire chief, won with 61 percent of the vote, according to results from the Washington County Election Commission. The results do not include overseas and provisional ballots, commissioners said.

All precincts were accounted for by 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. The voting process went smoothly, but voter turnout was low, said Jennifer Price, election commission executive director. Only about 14 percent of Washington County’s 128,345 registered voters cast ballots.

The unofficial results are expected to be certified later this week.

Preliminary results show voters chose Republican candidate Patrick Deakins, 31, over opponent Denny Upton, 65. The district covers northeastern Washington County.

Incumbent Joe Patterson, a Republican, chose not to seek re-election.

Deakins will face Democrat Dana Reynolds in the Nov. 6 general election.

“We are so proud the people of District 5 supported us. I’m going to work hard for them,” Deakins said. “It’s back to hard work tomorrow — we want to carry this momentum into November.”

Deakins, who is an accountant and vice chairman of the county Republican Committee, has said he wants to make roads, bridges, first responders and law enforcement issues funding priorities. The county should build up reserve and use that money for immediate disaster relief, he said.

Leming is a former Lincoln alderman, a military veteran and longtime volunteer firefighter. He has said he supports farmers and rural residents. He is a farmer who owns cows and operates chicken houses on about 300 acres.

The Quorum Court has 15 justices of the peace and is the legislative branch of county government. Justices of the peace are elected to two-year terms and earn about $200 per meeting.

[Up-to-date primary election results]


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