Clark, Stone Face June 26 Runoff Election in Sheriff's Race
Clark earned 42 percent of the vote, but it was not enough to win outright.
Challenger Rick Clark and Sheriff C. David Stone will face a June 26 runoff for sheriff, according to unofficial results.
Clark earned 4,051 votes or 42 percent of the vote, while Stone earned 3,794 votes or 40 percent of the vote.
"I'm just very humbled by the support people have shown across the county," Clark said. "I think it's a historic night in Pickens County. It's time to move on to the runoff. I'd like to thank everybody that voted for me in Pickens County. It's just tremendous.
"I think it's the future," Clark said. "This campaign stands for the future — a bright future for the Sheriff's Office and most especially for the deputies."
Stone said his campaign will now focus on the runoff.
"We're going to get out and work hard in the next two weeks and hopefully we're going to be successful," Stone said.
Stone said he thought the low turnout was due in part to the controversy over the last several months regarding the primary with candidates getting tossed off the ballots.
"I think people are tired of all the rhetoric they've been hearing over all this stuff," Stone said.
Stone said he wants to continue serving the people of Pickens County as their sheriff.
Stone said. "We've served for quite some time and we have good personnel in the Sheriff's Office that will continue to serve," Stone said.
He urged citizens to get out and vote in the runoff.
"A vote for me is a vote for the Sheriff's Office," Stone said.
Challenger Billy Looper earned 17 percent of the votes, with 17 percent of the vote.
State House District 4 Rep. Davey Hiott beat challenger Vicky Wynn, with 4,578 votes to Wynn's 817 votes.
Hiott captured 80 percent of the vote, to Wynn's 19 percent.
State House District 3 challenger Ed Harris bested incumbent Rep. B.R. Skelton with 1,145 votes to Skelton's 1,073.
Harris captured 51 percent of the vote. Skelton captured 48 percent of the vote.
Brian "Ryan B" Doyle received 53 percent of the vote in Pickens County as the democratic challenger for U.S. House Congressional District 3.
A total number of 9,890 ballots were cast in the primary, 15.35 percent of the county's registered, according to Registrations and Elections Director Rodney Allen.
The runoff for the sheriff's race will be held on June 26.
Results will be certified on Thursday.
Susan Stone Chapman
10:44 pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
It is a sad day when only 15% of voters turn out to vote. How can anyone say that is a representative vote? Regardless of who won or who will win it is very disheartening that men and women fought and were killed for a freedom many of Americans do not choose to exercise. People in other countries risk getting killed to vote on election day.
James Eller
8:55 am on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
I agree Susan. The turn out was very sad.
Jason Evans
11:15 am on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
I agree. Voting only takes a few minutes and it's so important. It's very sad that people don't seem to care these days.
Roger Malone
7:16 pm on Monday, June 18, 2012
Primaries always draw low turn out. But, with the topic at hand here, what a huge victory for Rick Clark. It was proven on Tuesday, June 12th that the voters want a change in Pickens County. So, let's make sure we get out and support our upcoming NEW Sheriff in Pickens County, Rick Clark! Don't forget to vote on Tuesday, June 26th in the run-off for Rick Clark!
Visit: http://www.clarkforsheriff.com to learn more about your new Sheriff come June 26th!
Kourtney Davis Daugherty
12:32 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
AMEN ROGER!
Concerned Citizen
2:11 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012
As a former deputy of the Pickens Sheriff Office and a taxpayer and citizen of Pickens County. I am writing this article in reference to the deception that the sheriff, David Stone of Pickens County is portraying to the citizens regarding his reelection campaign ads. For example the sheriff stated in his articles that we had the lowest crime rate in the state for several years, but the sheriff failed to tell the citizens that the violent crime rate has risen 68% since the year 2000. Also larceny has risen 68% and burglary to 80%, must have forgotten to include those statistics in his ads. The sheriff's TV ad shows him walking in and out of the sheriff office. I have never heard anyone question his ability to walk, but my question to the taxpayers is why everything being said in the commercial is being narrated by someone else. If our sheriff David Stone is so capable of doing this job then why does someone else have to speak for him? For example, when you see Sheriff Steve Loftis of Greenville County, John Skipper of Anderson County, and Chuck Wright of Spartanburg County on the news no one has to speak for them. The sheriff's radio commercials have him speaking himself and not being narrated, I wonder how many times he had to rehearse to get those correct. What I see is more deception from the sheriff and his office.
Thank You, Richard Harrelson
Concerned Citizen
2:12 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012
Concerning the salaries of the sheriff and his staff, this sheriff is being paid by the county $97,935, the Assistant Sheriff is paid $73,177, and the 3 Captains are paid a combined salary of $177.653. Not to mention that all of these persons listed are retired and on the Terry program for over the last 10 years. A staff attorney being paid $59,539, which has never tried a case for the sheriff's office. The total yearly salary of the sheriff and the mentioned administration totals $412,304 a year. A grand total for every 4 year term he is in office of $1,649,216. Taxpayers these are the people that never stop a car or answer calls for service, and the only thing I have seen them accomplish is sit behind a desk drawing a salary and retirement.
Thank You, Richard Harrelson
Concerned Citizen
2:12 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012
Now that I have addressed this deception of the sheriff and his office, I would like to address the article former Deputy of the Pickens County Sheriff Office and Police Chief of Clemson University Lonnie Saxon wrote in the Pickens County Courier. Lonnie Saxon made statements in his article about former deputies that had left the sheriff office that had taken other jobs and doesn't support the sheriff or his office, but I don't take anything to heart that came from a man that has been charged and arrested for a felony. Lonnie Saxon brags of his illustrious law enforcement career of over 35 years. But yet he took firearms across state lines and sold them without regards to state and federal laws. Yes citizens this is not a man who got up on Saturday morning and decided to sell his shotgun at the jockey lot. Lonnie forgot to mention his other illustrious career of a jockey lot gun dealer.
Thank You, Richard Harrelson
Concerned Citizen
2:12 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012
While it's not against the state law to sell long guns at the jockey lot, but being a former police officer and knowing how stolen items are bought and sold at jockey lots, I think it's pretty bad to establish this type of business due to the fact at the jockey lot you have no way to run serial numbers on weapons or know if it is stolen or the person is within state law that has possession of the gun. I would expect more from a law enforcement officer of over 35 years. So therefore any citizen that had their firearms stolen maybe should contact Lonnie Saxon at 864-855-3307 to see if he remembers buying or selling them. I don't put much thought into anything that an arrested felon has to say. In closing, watch the sheriff's ads and you will see what I'm saying, the salaries I quoted came from the County Administration office and to regards to Lonnie Joe Saxon Google his name on YouTube and read all about his charges and arrest. Thank you for your time in reading this ad and please remember to vote Rick Clark for Sheriff on June 26, so we can put an end to all of this wasteful spending and make our county safer and a better place to live.
Thank You, Richard Harrelson
Kourtney Davis Daugherty
7:05 pm on Monday, June 25, 2012
Amen Richard! Very informative! Vote Clark for Sheriff!