Live Park County Election Results

This post will be updated with results and election info as it's available tonight, with updates starting appearing at the top of this post. Keep refreshing this page for the latest.

10:33 p.m. I knew I was forgetting something -- in the contested Powell fire district board races, Gerald "Bear" May (216 votes) took the director 3 position over Kyle Nix (139 votes), while Kelly Spiering (220 votes) defeated Scott Horton (176 votes).

9:15 p.m. Not sure if another recap of county-wide races is necessary (the county has the full results online here), but here it is again...

In short, the Republicans cleaned up in Park County.

GOP challenger Jerri Torczon has convincingly taken the Park County Clerk's office from Democrat Kelly Jensen -- 7,105 votes to 4,156 votes.

Republicans Loren Grosskopf (7,903 votes), Joe Tilden (7,896 votes) and incumbent Tim French (7,210 votes) handily claimed the three open seats on the Park County Commission, over Democrat Faith Wicks (2,392 votes) and Libertarian Penny Gail (2,377 votes).

GOP contenders in statewide races also won by large margins over their Democrat opponents in Park County.

I think that's a wrap for me, and I'd encourage you to read more in Thursday's Powell Tribune. Statewide results can easily be tracked on the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's site.

Thanks to those who tuned in!

8:49 p.m. All in. Keep in mind that these results are unofficial.

Myron Heny has taken the Ward 3 seat on the Powell City Council, with 308 votes to Tim Sapp's 228 votes. In Ward 2, John Wetzel handily keeps his council seat (as does unchallenged councilman Steve Scott).

Rick LaPlante appears to have oh-so-narrowly seized a seat on the Northwest College Board of Trustees over Jim Vogt (1,716 votes to Vogt's 1,674), joining Carolyn Danko, who keeps her seat by being the leading vote-getter (2,090 votes).

James Beukelman will stay on the Powell Hospital District Board with 2,554 votes, and will be joined by Renee Humphries (2,072 votes). The two leading candidates among the 1,652 write in votes (which will be looked at tomorrow) will take the other two seats.

8:42 p.m. All the ballots are in to the courthouse now, just waiting for them to all be counted (those ballots include the results from Powell city council Ward 1, where Myron Heny and Tim Sapp are candidates). While we wait, a brief recap.

Republicans.

That may be too brief, but that's the story here.

In contested GOP races, Secretary of State Max Maxfield has taken 82% of the vote, U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis has 78.8%, gubernatorial GOP candidate Matt Mead has 71%, and Cindy Hill has 66%.

8:37 p.m.Looks like James Beukelman and Renee Humphries will stay and join the Powell Hospital District Board, respectively. With 1,066 votes for Beukelman, 822 for Humphries and 802 write-ins, the balloted candidates look to be locks for two of the four 4-year seats. We'll find out who the top two write ins were tomorrow.

8:30 p.m. Now with 23 of 29 precincts in, the races I've described earlier remain the same: Jerri Torczon (60.6%) has apparently taken the county clerk's office, Loren Grosskopf, Joe Tilden and Tim French are taking the three Republican seats and the Republican state candidates are cleaning up.

NWC College board: incumbent trustee Jim Vogt's seat looks to be in danger, while challenger LaPlante looks to be headed toward a seat on the board. Carolyn Danko's re-election bid looks to be holding up.

Here's the standings:

Carolyn Danko (incumbent) 868 votes - 24%
Rick LaPlante 790 votes - 21.9%
Jim Vogt 692 votes - 19.2%
Kim Dillivan 342 votes - 9.5%

8:15 p.m. More results -- 17 of the county's precincts are in, including some Powell numbers

In the Park County Clerk's race, Republican challenger Jerri Torczon's lead has expanded and it looks pretty clear that she will be taking over the office in January from Democrat Kelly Jensen.

Torzcon: 3,541 votes, 60.3%
Jensen: 2,205 votes, 37.5%

Republican Park County Commission candidates Joe Tilden (4,081 votes), Loren Grosskopf (4,036 votes) and Tim French (3,574 votes) appear to be locks, as Libertarian Penny Gail (1,191 votes) and Democract Faith Wicks (1,190 votes) trail in a race where only the top three candidates win.

Incumbent Powell City Councilman John Wetzel is looking like he'll keep his seat, with 66.9 percent of the vote so far (366 ballots), while Mark Senn (117 votes, 21.4%) trails.

GOP superintendent candidate Cindy Hill has 3,856 votes (65.62 percent), leading significantly over Democrat Mike Massie's 1,854 votes (31.55 percent).

7:53 p.m. With eight Cody precincts in, Republican Jerri Torczon, a challenger for the Park County Clerk's position, has a sizable lead over incumbent Democrat Kelly Jensen.

Torczon -- 58.11 percent (1,541 votes)

Jensen -- 39.86 percent (1,057 votes)

That's the biggest news among what appears to be a dominant Republican sweep across the board in Park County.

GOP commission candidates Loren Grosskopf (1,887 votes), Joe Tilden (1,873) and Tim French (1,599) hold sizable leads over Libertarian Penny Gail (550 votes) and Democrat Faith Wicks (467 votes).

In the state superintendent's race, Republican Cindy Hill has 66.5% (1,765 votes), Democrat Mike Massie has 30.3%(803 votes).

Republican gubernatorial candidate Matt Mead has 73% of the vote so far, Dem Leslie Petersen has 14%, write ins (read: Taylor Haynes) account for 9.8% while Libertarian Mike Wheeler has 2.3 percent.

For Secretary of state, Max Maxfield has 83% to Andrew Simons' 10.9%, while in the race for U.S. House, Rep. Cynthia Lummis has 80.6%.

7:50 p.m. Just so nobody's disappointed, here's something we will not know tonight: the winners of the four 4-year seats on the Powell Hospital District Board. With only two balloted candidates in the running for the four positions, at least two of the winners will be write ins. And while write in ballots are counted tonight (i.e. 1,000 write in votes cast) they will not be read (i.e. 700 votes for Candidate C, 650 for Candidate D, etc.) until the county write in board meets tomorrow.

7:32 p.m. Just FYI, for close statewide races (superintendent of public instruction, perhaps?), it sounds like it could be a long election night. Both Weston and Fremont counties reported what appeared to be mechanical problems with their vote tabulating machines, said a release from the secretary of state's office sent out this afternoon.

To make sure there haven't been any errors in vote-counting in those counties, there may be re-counting tomorrow, when it can be done slowly and accurately, the release said.

"The emphasis for the County Clerks and our office is accuracy; that must take precedence over speed," said Secretary of State Max Maxfield in the release. "Be patient tonight."

7:27 p.m. Well, it's 7:27 p.m. and the Tribune is calling several key local races. The Tribune, with its extensive insider knowledge and comprehensive exit polling today, is confidently projecting re-election for Park County Clerk of District Court Joyce Boyer, Attorney Bryan Skoric, Sheriff Scott Steward, Coroner Tim Power and Republican state legislators Dave Bonner, Pat Childers and Ray Peterson. We're also projecting that current first deputy county assessor Pat Meyer will become the county's next assessor while Cody Wells Fargo bank manager Barb Poley will become treasurer. In statewide races, the Tribune projects Cynthia Cloud becoming state auditor and re-election for state treasurer Joe Meyer. Yeah, they're all unopposed races.

We'll keep you posted on the actual contests; the first set of ballots (from precincts 3-1 and 25-3 in Cody) have reached the courthouse. Exciting!

5:30 p.m. If the incessant media coverage for the past year or so hasn't clued you in, today is Election Day -- and there are a lot of big races being decided across country and in Park County.

The Tribune regrettably couldn't afford to send correspondents to all 50 states, but we will be bringing you live Park County results and updates from the Courthouse tonight as votes are counted.

If history is any indication, some results will probably start becoming available around 8 p.m. I'll start blogging updates on where we're at and what to expect tonight beginning around 7:15 or so.

The county also posts results as they come in on its elections website; depending on how things get set up tonight, the Tribune may have results online sooner than the county's site.

In the meantime, if you haven't already, you've still got an hour and a half to go vote. Do it!

Republican state senator endorses Democrat

10:25 a.m. Updated to add Cindy Hill's Republican endorsements

During political campaigns, candidate endorsements are common, but a few recent endorsements are a little unusual, including the endorsement of a Democratic candidate by a prominent Republican Park County state senator.

In addition, two prominent Wyoming political leaders have issued endorsements in the race for Park County clerk. Gov. Dave Freudental has officially endorsed Democratic candidate Kelly Jensen, while Republican Jerri Torczon has received the official endorsement of from U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.

While top Wyoming officials often express support for candidates in local elections, it is unusual for them to issue formal endorsements in local races.

An even more unusual endorsement was issued this week by Wyoming state Sen. Hank Coe of Cody, a Republican, in support of Mike Massie, the Democratic candidate for state superintendent of public instruction.

Coe, who is chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said in a release, “Education is not about being a Republican or Democrat. When it comes to the Superintendent of Public Instruction position, it is about who knows the issues and who is qualified for the job.”

Citing Massie’s work on educational issues as a member of the Wyoming Legislature, Coe said “There are few people I know that understand what it takes to make our schools better than Mike does.”

Massie’s ability to work with people is another important qualification for the office, Coe said.

Another Republican state senator, Bruce Burns of Sheridan, also endorsed Massie.

Though not unusual, Republican superintendent candidate Cindy Hill has racked up a host of GOP endorsements -- with Wyoming U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Enzi, 18 state representatives and six state senators (including Ray Peterson, R-Cowley) among them.

(Tribune reporter Don Amend wrote this post.)

Panther girls win state title

Get the fire engines ready for a parade through the streets. The Powell High School girls' cross country team is bringing home their third state championship in the past five years after running away from the competition in Douglas.

Freshman Sierra Morrow and sophomore Tally Wells, both in their first year of competition, earned all-state honors after placing fifth and seventh, respectively. In all, the Panthers finished with five of the 16 fastest runners at the 3A championships to score a decisive 30-point margin of victory over 3A West rival Jackson. Lander edged Cody on a sixth-runner tiebreak for third place honors.

The Panther boys are also bringing back some hardware with a third-place finish at this year's state championships. Running for a measure of redemption after a fifth-place team finish at the regional meet last week, the Panthers found that and then some. Bodie Friday placed 13th to finish as Powell's top runner as PHS leapfrogged three teams that finished ahead of it in the regional standings, placing third behind state champion Jackson and state runner-up Newcastle.

Pictures and details of the Panthers' state cross country haul will appear in Tuesday's edition of the Powell Tribune .

Who do you want to see at the 2011 Park County Fair?

On a scale of 1 to 5, where would you rate Air Supply, the popular 1980s rock duo?

Park County Fair organizers are posing that question to residents in a online survey of possible live concert performers for the 2011 fair. They are considering both country and classic rock performers, and seek the public’s help in selecting who will perform at the Park County Fair next July.

The online survey lists 10 musical acts for participants to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the most preferred).

Residents also can say whether they prefer country music or classic rock. The survey has a comment box for additional feedback or questions.

To take the online survey, visit the fair's web site.

A paper version of the survey can be obtained from the Park County Library locations in Powell, Cody and Meeteetse.

Tour Cody’s new airport terminal Wednesday

On Wednesday, Oct. 20, from 4 to 7 p.m., the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce will host a Business After Hours tour of the new Yellowstone Regional Airport’s terminal building.

There is a $5 entry fee and the tour is open to the public.

Tara Raymond of the terminal’s The Landing restaurant will present new menu items and offer samples.

The new terminal is tentatively slated to open for business in December.

Video: Boeing's 747-8 over Powell

The low-flying test run of Boeing's new 747-8 aircraft Saturday morning over Powell was hard to miss with the naked eye, but apparently -- at least among Tribune staffers -- it was a little harder to catch with a camera lens.

As a Tribune reader noted today in a comment on our site, we didn't have photos of the plane.

This reporter actually had his camera out when the jet passed -- with even the zoom lens on, and the lens cap off -- but was obliviously snapping photos in the wrong direction and never saw it.

Fortunately, rural Powell resident Andrew Cubbage spotted the jet as it turned near Powell, and whipped out his video camera. He kindly shared what he shot with the Tribune. It's embedded below.

The flight originated from, and headed back to, Glasgow, Mont., where the 747-8 is reportedly undergoing spray certification testing.

If the plane looked really big, there's a good reason for that: the new aircraft is more than 250 feet long and 224 feet wide. The freighter version will be able to carry a maximum payload of more than 300,000 pounds. Equipped for passengers, the 747-8 Intercontinental will hold up to 467 folks and carry them up to 8,000 nautical miles before refueling. This model of the jet is bigger and more fuel efficient than earlier 747s.

Powell residents hoping to catch another glimpse of the new craft may have to wait a while. Boeing announced last week that the 747-8 Freighter will not be ready for delivery until mid-2011; the passenger version is slated to arrive later next year.

If you snapped any photos of the big plane passing over Powell skies and feel like sharing them, please let us know. Shoot me an email at cj@powelltribune.com.

Chief Joseph haul plan didn't involve Shoshone

Add another entity to the list of those who weren't involved in crafting the plan to haul tens of thousands of tons of mine tailings across the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway next summer. The hauling is a controversial part of a roughly $24.4 million cleanup of an old gold mine near Cooke City, Mont.

A Sept. 8 editorial in the Cody Enterprise criticized Shoshone National Forest officials for being pushers of the hauling plan, but a forest spokeswoman said that was inaccurate.

“We weren’t asked about this. We weren’t consulted,” said Shoshone spokeswoman Susie Douglas when asked about the entity's involvement last week. She added that the Shoshone has no jurisdiction over who uses the state highway.

The mining district in question is located in Montana's Park County, and within the Gallatin and Custer national forests. The 46-mile Chief Joseph Highway (Wyoming Highway 296) runs from Cooke City to Highway 120 and is mostly within in the Shoshone National Forest.

When asked if Shoshone officials would have liked to have been involved in the planning process, Douglas said they likely would have.

“A lot of our forest visitors use that road and we kind of spotlight it — ‘Look at this scenic highway’,” she said.

County commissioners and local legislators have voiced concern with impacts of the slow-moving trucks on the Chief Joseph Highway and its traffic; they also are miffed that Wyoming officials were not involved in the planning process.

In an August letter to the commission, Montana Department of Environmental Quality director Richard Opper said his agency was working with the project contractor and the Wyoming Department of Transportation to mitigate the impacts.

Park County Commission Chairman Jill Shockley Siggins said last week she found Opper’s letter to be “patronizing.” Siggins said the letter made it sound as though the commission’s input wasn't going to make a difference.

Opper, who has said he should have sought more input from communities along the haul route, plans to meet with county and Cody officials next month to discuss the project. That meeting has tentatively been scheduled for Oct. 19.