TORRINGTON –  Goshen County voters flocked to the polls Tuesday in their respective precincts to cast their ballots in the 2018 mid-term elections, and after months of campaigning, several local and state races were decided. 

City of Torrington Mayor

   Torrington City Councilman Randy Adams edged fellow councilman Dennis Kelly by 224 votes to become the next mayor of Torrington. 

   “I feel very good,” Adams said. “I’m glad that it’s over. It’s been about six months since we started putting out signs and it has been a long time. 

   “We finally got to the point where we’re at right now, and I’m glad.”

Mayor-elect Adams said he has thought about his first orders of business once he takes office on Jan. 2, 2019, but the first thing he intends to do is ensure a smooth transition from current the current administration to the new one, which will also feature a new council member. 

   “Obviously, I’ve thought about,” he said. “I’m not going to make any decisions. I’m going to spend some time with the mayor and other staff. I’m not going to jump into anything right away.” 

   Adams said he owes it all to his supporters in the community, and will be working hard to serve them over the next four years. 

   “I very much appreciate the support of the community over the years,” Adams said. “This is my sixth race and every time they have come out and supported me really well and I appreciate it.”

Torrington City Council

   Current councilwoman Deanna Hill retained her seat on the Torrington City Council by earning 559 of 2,205 votes cast, or 25.35 percent. Ted Kinney received the most votes with 780, or 35.57 percent. Kinney will assume the seat of mayor-elect Randy Adams. 

   “I am thrilled and honored because it’s the voters,” Hill said.    “It’s so important that people vote and I’m just excited to be able to serve again and I’m very thankful.”

   This will be Hill’s third four-year term. This will be Kinney’s second term, though his terms are non-consecutive. 

   “I’m just excited,” she said. “This will be the first time having a different mayor because I have been with Mayor (Mike) Varney for the last two terms. The council is changing a little bit, which is exciting. The goal is to move forward and put some things into motion that the community desperately needs and to continue to have the trust of the voters to do what needs to be done.”

   Hill and Kinney bested Sandy Pittman and Douglas Mercer, who received 469 votes and 389 votes, respectively. 

Goshen County Commission

   Cody Cox and John Ellis will both serve on the Goshen County Commission. Ellis earned 3,765 votes to Cox’s 3,461, but they will both fill seats on the commission. 

Wyoming State Senate

   Republican Cheri Steinmetz received 3,447 votes out of 4,456 ballots, or 75.82 percent, en route to a lopsided win to retain her seat in the Wyoming State Senate. She defeated Democrat Marci Shaver. 

   “I am thankful for the overwhelming victory in Goshen, Niobrara and Weston Counties,” Steinmetz said in a Facebook post to her followers. “I am humbled and honored by the support from my friends and neighbors. I look forward to serving them in the state senate.”

Wyoming State Treasurer

   Republican Curt Meier, of LaGrange, will be the next Wyoming State Treasurer after defeating Democrat Chris Lowry by over 30,000 votes, with eight counties reporting at press time. 

   Meier, who currently serves in the state legislature, ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility.

   “I want to use the knowledge and experience gained through four decades of service to the people of Wyoming to secure and continue the recent growth in the state’s investment returns as your next State Treasurer,” Meier said in a Facebook post. “As a legislator, I’ve always been conscious of the fact that we were spending the taxpayers’ money when we created programs and funded government, and as Treasurer, I won’t ever forget that the money we have saved and now invest is yours too. That is my pledge.”

Wyoming Secretary of State

   Republican Edward Buchanan won a landslide victory over Democrat James Byrd to become the next Wyoming Secretary of State. As of press time, he had a commanding lead of nearly 50,000 votes with 12 counties reporting. 

Eastern Wyoming College Board of Trustees

   There will be very little turnover in the Eastern Wyoming College Board of Trustees after election night, as the only changes to the current board will the addition of Thomas McCreery to represent Torrington and Prairie Center. McCreery outpaced Jackie VanMark by 413 votes. 

   Incumbent Judith Bartman ran unopposed to represent Area 1. Incumbent Robert Baumgartner retained his seat to represent Area 2 by defeating challenger Thomas Eaton. Baumgartner received 2,432 of 3962 votes cast, or 61.38 percent. 

   John B. Patrick ran unopposed to retain his Area 3 seat. Angie Chavez won an at-large seat by beating Cecil Sauer and Darrell W. Wilkes. 

Goshen County School District Board of Trustees

   The Goshen County School Board will look a little different after Election Day, as Kerry Bullington garnered enough votes to oust incumbent Ryan Clayton and win a seat on the board. 

   Katherine Patrick, Mark Jespersen and Zachary Miller all retained their current seats. 

   Patrick was the recipient of the most votes with 2,575 of the 11,410 ballots cast in her favor. Jespersen 2,527 votes. Bullington was third with 2,272 and Miller earned 2,213. 

Wyoming Governor

   Republican Mark Gordon defeated Democrat Mary Throne to become the governor-elect of The Cowboy State. With 12 counties reporting at press time, Gordon had a lead of nearly 50,000 votes over Throne.