A long-time Republican member of the Marion County Board was defeated in a re-election bid on Tuesday.
Dr. Creighton Engel lost the primary for his District Two board seat to Dr. Michael Douglas, 606 votes to 504 votes. Dr. Douglas said he was talked into running by those who wanted to see a change.
“I think with this new board I really would like to see the county board to set the example for all the taxing bodies of Marion County to really realize that every dollar they spend comes from somewhere and the better place for it to be is in the pockets of the people who earned it.”
Douglas feels government spending is too big and they can tighten their belts a little bit and spend more wisely. He also sees a need for the county to be involved in economic development.
“We have a perfect town with the rail system, the interstate system, major highways, and a good workforce. I think there are some good jobs out there and hopefully, we can do something to get better-paying jobs in our town.”
Engel also served as the county board’s vice chair and building committee chair.
Two District One Board members held onto their seats despite a challenge. Tracy Murray was the top vote-getter with 815 votes. Brock Waggoner won the other seat with 769 votes. Challenger Charles Rose fell short with 618 votes.
In District Four, Cody Alan Rose defeated David Jourdan for the one open seat 435 to 238 votes.
Timothy McCance ran unopposed in District Three and David Iossi was unopposed for the one open seat in District Five.
Right now there are no Democratic candidates for county board, but there is still time for the Democratic Party to caucus in candidates for the November election.
There was also a contested race for Precinct Committeeperson in Salem Six. Brock Waggoner leads challenger Sharon Woodward 73 to 65 votes, with the late arriving vote by mail ballots still outstanding.
