Norway’s former police chief defeated the mayor who fired him in the town’s nonpartisan municipal election Tuesday, while Springfield’s embattled mayor hung on to win re-election.

In unofficial results, former Norway Police Chief Jim Preacher, who is now Ehrhardt’s police chief, defeated incumbent mayor Brad Fogle, receiving 82 votes to Fogle’s 57 to win a two-year term. Also losing a bid for the mayor’s job was Jake Jacobs, who got 1 vote.

Preacher thanked the people of Norway for their support.

“I love all the people of Norway,” Preacher said, adding that he wants to improve the town’s finances, build up the Norway Police Department again and get a bank back in the town.

“I want Norway to be a town for families,” Preacher said. He said he’d like Norway to once again hold celebrations for the Fourth of July, Christmas and other special times.

In July 2007, after 17 years with the town of Norway, Preacher was fired as police chief by Fogle through a hand-delivered letter detailing reasons for his ouster. Fogle claimed Preacher cursed out town employees and took his police vehicle out of town while off duty.

Preacher dismissed those claims and said he did nothing to warrant being fired. The former police chief charged he was fired because of a fallout with Fogle and former Norway Mayor Rose Dukes over missing traffic tickets and a dispute Preacher had with another officer. He also complained of a ticket “quota” system.

Preacher sued the town in 2008, charging he was not paid for his duties as wastewater manager.

In unofficial results in Tuesday’s race for the Norway Town Council District 1 seat, challenger Ann Johnson out-polled incumbent Bonnie Fogle by a vote of 30 to 25. The District 2 council seat winner was challenger Tommy Burbage with 14 votes to incumbent Geraldine Bell’s 8 votes and challenger Ron Hinnant’s 2 votes. District 3 incumbent Greg Covington won re-election, receiving 30 votes to challenger Sandra Blake’s 25 votes. Newcomer Michael Singleton, who was unopposed, was elected in District 4 with 16 votes. District 4 incumbent Emma Reed did not seek re-election.

In Springfield, unofficial results showed that incumbent Mayor Marilyn Owens McCormick out-polled two challengers to win re-election. McCormick received 92 votes, while challengers Wanda Dandeneau got 83 votes and Jason Etheredge got 13.

Winning Springfield council seats were challenger Josie Williams with 128 votes and incumbents Hattie Wood with 114, Eddie Lee with 105 and Lydia Lackey with 99. Losing bids for council were write-in candidates Johnny Williams with 82 votes, Sam Carter with 59 and Victor Cooper with 51. Incumbent David R. Fogle did not seek re-election to council.

Recent Springfield council meetings have pitted McCormick and her supporters against a rival faction led by Lackey. Lackey has said McCormick has no authority to make financial decisions, fire the police chief and enter into contracts without council’s knowledge. McCormick has maintained that, under the strong mayor/weak council form of government, she does have the authority to make such decisions.

In the other nonpartisan municipal elections, unofficial results are as follows:

* Branchville

Winning the three Branchville Town Council seats up for grabs were incumbent Amy Ott Bryant with 140 votes, former council member Nathaniel Lincoln with 127 votes and incumbent Benita Gibbs with 112. Losing their bids for council were challengers Gidget Vickers, who received 111 votes and Charles Bamberg, who got 61.

Incumbent Georgianna E. Harmon did not seek re-election.

* Cordova

Incumbent Mayor James V. Martin and four council members – Richard B. Fogle, Richard E. Fogle, Jo Ann Mooney and James Preveaux – all filed for re-election as write-in candidates. No names were on the ballot. The exact vote totals each received were not available at press time, but all won re-election.

* North

Challengers Julius P. Jones and Jeff Washington won election to the two four-year council terms up for grabs in North. Jones received 92 votes and Washington got 86. Losing council candidates were incumbent Rose Binyard with 82 votes and challengers Lee Scarborough Hughes, 77 votes, and Bill Courtney, 26 votes. Incumbent Councilman Aubrey Gleaton did not seek another term.

* Bowman

Councilman Marion Glenn is the new mayor of Bowman in unofficial results. Glenn out-polled newcomer Jimmy Aimar by a vote of 134 to 94 in a special election to fill the unexpired term of the late Mayor Zelda Pelzer.

In the regular election for two four-year terms on Bowman Town Council, incumbent David Stack won his seat and challenger Patsy Rhett was elected. Stack had 136 votes and Rhett had 104. Incumbent Paul E. Holt lost his seat, getting 82 votes, and newcomer Michael Void lost his council bid with 70 votes.

* Holly Hill

Unofficial results show that Holly Hill will have a new mayor. Challenger William Johnson topped incumbent Mayor Jim Jeffers by 269 to 152 votes. Dianne Bergen came in last with 18 votes.

* Eutawville

Former Town Councilwoman Jean Akers was elected mayor with 58 votes. Candidate Harry Lee Brown received 32 votes.

Mayor Robert Collins did not seek re-election. With the withdrawal of challenger James Nutt, incumbent Council members Roger Adkins and David West were re-elected without opposition.

* Vance

Barbara Montgomery, the only candidate whose name was on the ballot for two Vance Town Council seats, won a seat with 27 votes. Winning the other council seat was write-in candidate Doug Chapman with 12 votes. Council incumbents Arletta Rowe and James White Jr., whose four-year terms were expiring, did not file for re-election.

* Cameron

Mayor Russ Middleton was re-elected, garnering 76 votes to challenger Carol Summers’ 74 votes.

In the first council election to incorporate staggered terms, those winning four-year council terms were newcomer Wayne Polin, who received 111 votes, and incumbent Linda Godwin, who got 104 votes. Also winning re-election to two-year terms were incumbent Mona Summers, who garnered 97 votes, and incumbent Amanda Jenkins with 75 votes.

Losing their council races were Minnie Haigler with 57 votes and Gladys Elay Black Gardner-Simmons with 53 votes.

Incumbent Councilman Johnny Wesner did not seek re-election.

* Ehrhardt

Incumbent William Stanley won re-election as mayor, besting challenger Frank Ogle 117 to 52.

Winning the two seats on council for four-year terms were incumbent Councilman Freddie Copeland with 116 votes and newcomer Bennie K. Hughes with 117 votes. Newcomer Preston Davis lost his bid for council, garnering 52 votes.

Incumbent Councilman Furman Peters did not seek re-election.

T&D Correspondents contributing to this report were Martha Rose Brown, Dale Linder-Altman, Sherryl Peters and Larry Jordan.

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