CNJ staff photo: Robin Fornoff Democrat candidate for County Commission District 4 Donald Harrell of Melrose draws his number Tuesday for position on the June 5 primary election ballot. Harrell is taking on incumbent Commissioner Wendell Bostwick.
Robin Fornoff
Retirements sparked a rush of candidates Tuesday to register for three key Curry County offices in the June 5 primary election.
Four candidates filed for Commissioner Caleb Chandler’s District 5 seat, four filed for County Clerk Coni Jo Lyman’s position and four more filed for County Treasurer Bernice Baker’s office. All three incumbents had announced their retirements, Baker waiting until a commission meeting earlier Tuesday to make it official.
Incumbent Commissioners Wendell Bostwick and Dan Stoddard will each face a challenger in their primary election races.
Bostwick is up against Donald Harell, a retired truck driver and former candidate for mayor in Melrose in the Democrat contest for District 4. No Republican candidates filed.
Stoddard faces Clovis furniture and flooring businessman Ben McDaniel in the Republican race for District 2. No Democrats filed.
In District 5, former Commissioner and Pleasant Hill farmer Paul Barnes was the only Democrat to file. The Republican field features Tim Ashley of Clovis, another former commissioner, and Phillip Borden and Danny Powell.
Ashley is a former county commissioner and owns Clovis Concrete. Borden of Grady is a Grady school board member and Powell lives in Texico.
Sherri McDaniel of Clovis was the only Democrat filing for county clerk. The Republican race features Chief Deputy Clerk Ben Dampier, Clovis businesswoman Rose Riley and Randy Petty, former general manager of Triangle Hardware who is also active in the annual Clovis Music Festival.
Democrats Rachel Toney and Jonathan Wilson, both of Clovis, face each other in the county treasurer primary. Toney ran for the office and lost in 2007. Wilson is an assistant professor at Eastern New Mexico University and Curry County Democratic Party treasurer.
The Republican primary for treasurer features Chief Deputy Treasurer Debbie Spriggs and Traci Harris of Clovis.
Here are candidates and how they will appear on the ballot:
County Commission District 2
Republican
• Dan Stoddard
• Ben McDaniel
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