Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

2022 Election: Local Field Is Set

Sheriff & Mayor Races Remain Contested; 5 Seek 3 School Board Seats

The only local race that will be decided in the primary election on May 10 is the office of Kimball County Sheriff.

Two Republican candidates are involved in the sheriff race – incumbent Harry Gillway and challenger David Hottell. In order to vote for either candidate, individuals must be registered as Republicans. May 2 is the deadline for switching political parties in person.

Additional names have been added to the ballot for the three open seats on the Kimball School Board. The candidates include incumbents Travis Cook and Tom O'Brien and challengers Kenneth L. Smith, Jennifer Griebel and Carrie M. Tabor.

The Kimball mayoral race will be decided in the November general election, with Christy Warner and John Morrison vying for the position.

Incumbent city council member Creg Pike is the only person to file for City Council. Gregory O. Stull has filed for the Kimball Airport Authority.

On the county side, only incumbents have filed for county attorney, clerk of the district court, assessor, treasurer and clerk.

The commissioner's race will be decided in November with two candidates on the Republican side, Rich Flores and Elyse Schlake Lukassen, and Larry Engstrom on the Democratic side.

Re-districting has moved Kimball and Banner counties into the 48th District of the Nebraska Legislature, where five candidates have filed, including Don L. Lease II, Brian Hardin, Talon Cordle, Scott Shaver and Jeremiah Jake Teeple. Steve Erdman will no longer represent this area after the winner is sworn in.

Third district U.S. Congressmen Adrian Smith has four challengers, including Republican Mike Calhoun, Democrats David J. Else and Daniel M. Wik, and one candidate from the Legal Marijuana NOW party, Mark Elworth Jr.

The governor race is crowded with nine Republican candidates, two candidates from the Democratic Party and one Libertarian. Other state offices that have a multitude of candidates are Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Attorney General, Auditor of Public Accounts, and Public Service Commissioner.