By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette

May 16, 2006, 8:10 p.m. UPDATED June 30, 2006 -- Judge-Executive Dean Watts handily beat challenger Kenny Fogle in the Democratic Primary today, returning Watts to lead county government and a very different Nelson Fiscal Court, where two incumbents fell to Democratic challengers. Four of five seats were decided in the primary; the race in District 3 will be decided in Novermber.

Incumbents in other races held on to their respective offices; several candidates may face GOP or independent candidates in November.

The slim margins of victory in several primary races should shoot down the myth that individual votes don't count. In the local races, they clearly mean a great deal.

JUDGE-EXECUTIVE. Kenny Fogle's bid to unseat three-time incumbent Dean Watts fell short by 982 votes, (3,912 vs. 2,930). Watts won all the county's precincts but four.

As the returns from the precincts in the city were counted, the gap between Watts and Fogle widened. Fogle did well in outlying areas of the county, but not enough to make up the difference. Fogle won two precincts in New Haven, and one each in Boston and New Hope.

MAGISTRATE RACES. Two incumbents won't return to Nelson Fiscal Court next year: District 2 Magistrate Raymond Greer and District 5 Magistrate Roy Drake.

DISTRICT 2. The four-way race in District 2 pitted Greer against two popular candidates -- Sam Hutchins and John Downs. Hutchins beat Downs by just 65 votes, 487 to 422. Greer received 233 votes and Debbie A. Davis received 81 votes. Hutchins faces no opposition in the November election.

DISTRICT 5. The tightest race in the primary was in District 5. It was the Chaplin precinct that gave candidate Jerry Hahn the lead in the vote tallies over incumbent Roy Drake and challenger Ronnie Hatfield. As other precinct totals arrived, the gap narrowed, but Hahn emerged the winner by a slim margin of 9 votes, 490 to 481. Hatfield received 313 votes.

DISTRICT 1. In his first reelection bid, District 1 incumbent Maynard Wimsett defeated challenger Dale Clark by only 59 votes (584 to 525). Clark won three precincts around New Haven while Wimsett won the rest in District 1. Wimsett did well in the areas north of New Haven.

DISTRICT 4. Incumbent Tim Hutchins wound up the night with a commanding victory in the four-way race for magistrate. Hutchins beat challenger David Shields by more than a 2-to-1 margin (739 to 313). Austin Weller earned 153 votes and Bill Osborne 117. Hutchins will go on to serve a fourth term without opposition -- unless J.T. Fulkerson completes his petition to enter the race as an independent candidate. Fulkerson is facing an August 8th deadline.

DISTRICT 3. Incumbent Bernard Ice had no opposition in the Democratic primary. He faces Republican Jim Beery and independent candidate David McMichael in November.

SHERIFF. Incumbent Mike Newton won reelection in a three-way primary race for the sheriff's office, besting his closest challenger, Kenny Downs, 3,101 to 1,886 votes. John Rice was a relatively close, receiving 1,504 votes.

JAILER. Incumbent Dorcas Figg beat challenger Jon Ryan by more than a 2-to-1 margin. Ryan did not win any of the county's 26 precincts, but came close to beating the incumbent in several. She may have opposition in the November election of William Francis"Billy" Buckman, a Bardstown police officer, follows through on his intention to run as an independent. Buckman must complete his filing as an independent candidate by August 8th.

CORONER. Field Houghlin, a longtime deputy coroner, handily beat Robert Enlow Jr., 3775 to 1707 votes. In the Boston area precinct, Enlow tied with Houghlin with 92 votes each. The race was close in a couple other precincts, but Houghlin won the rest with considerable ease.

Houghlin faces Republican Danielle Chladek (pronounced Dah-kneel Kla-deck) in the November General Election.