The results are in
Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
Winners in the May 5 elections for seats on boards of the Weston County Hospital District and the Weston County Museum District were announced on May 11.
Joining the hospital district board for a four-year term will be Lisa Foster with 135 votes – 106 from Newcastle, 19 from Upton and 10 from Osage. She will fill the seat left vacant by Ashley Tupper.
Incumbents Lanny Reimer, LeAnn Kenagy and Connie James were all elected to four-year terms. The board of trustees had appointed both Reimer and Kenagy in the last year.
Incumbent Mike Ratigan, unopposed, won election to a two-year term seat with a total of 250 votes – 197 from Newcastle, 28 from Upton and 15 from Osage.
Reimer had 264 total votes – 216 from Newcastle, 33 from Upton and 15 from Osage. Kenagy followed with 231 votes – 194 from Newcastle, 22 from Upton and 15 from Osage. James had 195 votes – 157 from Newcastle, 25 from Upton and 13 from Osage.
Monte Straley, 133 total votes, and Stacie Hoxie, 115 votes, were unsuccessful in their bids.
Results for the hospital district board were announced by Denice Pisciotti, executive assistant for Weston County Health Services. Pisciotti said that the canvassing board had confirmed the May 5 unofficial results.
Three seats on the museum district board were open and all three candidates were unopposed. Joining the board for a three-year term will be Jill Pischke with 85 votes, Judith A. Lorenz with 83 votes and Linda Hunt with 77 votes.
At the time of publication the results from the Weston County Museum District were still unofficial and unconfirmed to be official after scrutiny from the canvassing board.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, both entities had at least one voting venue and maintained proper social distancing and public gathering standards. Both districts also used absentee ballots and Weston County Health Services executive assistant Denice Pisciotti reported that the hospital district saw an increase in absentee ballot numbers, presumably due to the pandemic.