New Albany municipal primary election results

New Albany Democratic and Republican party voters chose candidates for city elective offices who will face off in the June 6 city general election.

The turnout for the municipal primary election was relatively light, with fewer than 30 percent of New Albany’s registered voters turning. With 4777 eligible voters  registered for the election, only 1405 cards were cast (29.41%).

Incumbent New Albany Chief of Police Chris Robertson, a Democrat, defeated Democratic primary challenger Paul Voyles by a margin of better than four to one. Robertson, who called on hundreds of voters in vigorous door-to-door, face-to-face campaigning, got 1008 votes (81.29%) compared to 231 total votes (18.63%) for Voyles.

Robertson will face no Republican in June and is thus elected New Albany police chief for a second four-year term.

In the primary contests for the open Alderman-at-Large seat on the city board, Larry Dykes, a Democrat and a retired career veteran of U.S. military service, received 656 votes (61.83%) in the Democratic primary. Dykes defeated Jerry Shiverdecker, a long-time news editor and reporter, who received 388 votes ( 36.57%).

Dykes will face Republican Keith Conlee in the June general election. Conlee received a total of 124 of the Republican votes (87.32%)  in the city’s four ward precincts, defeating David Brown, who got a total of 18 (12.68%) votes in the Republican primary. Conlee ran a vigorous and well-financed campaign, with the support of most of the city’s self-described Republicans. Although he received 8.8% percent of the total ballots cast in Tuesday’s municipal primary election, Conlee is the odds-on favorite in the general election to defeat Dykes, who received a large Republican “cross-over” vote. Dykes received about 46.7% of the total ballots cast in the primary.

In New Albany’s Ward Three, incumbent Democrat Kevin Dale White, received 201 votes (69.70%). White’s Democratic primary challenger Chris Buford got 87 votes (30.21%). White will face no Republican challenger in June and is thus re-elected to another four-year term.

Democrat Scott Dunnam, currently the city’s Alderman-at-Large, got 163 votes (66.26%) as a Democratic candidate for the Ward One seat on the city board. Dunnam defeated Catania Spears Windom, who received 80 votes (32.52%) in the Democratic primary.

Dunnam will face Republican Amy Livingston in the June 6th general election. Livingston was unopposed in the Republican primary and received a total of  32 votes, only about 11.5% of all the ballots, Democrat and Republican, cast in Ward one in the Tuesday primary. However, Livingston could prove to be a credible challenger to Dunnam in the general election.

There were no primary contests for the office of mayor. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Tim Kent will face current First Ward Alderman Jeff Olson, who was unopposed for the Republican nomination in the primary election

Johnny Anderson, a Democrat and the current Ward Two alderman, had no opponent in the Tuesday primaries and faces no Republican in the general election.

Republican incumbent Ward Four Alderman Will Tucker, had no opponent in the primary, nor will be have a Democratic opponent in the June 6 general election.

2017 municipal primary election full results