MORROW COUNTY — Early results indicated Tuesday night’s primaries will likely be headed to multiple November runoffs and a bond before Boardman voters will pass, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s website

Commissioner, Position 1

Incumbent Commissioner and cattle rancher Jim Doherty holds a narrow advantage of less than 100 votes over challenger Joel Peterson in the primary race for the lone opening on the county’s three-person board of commissioners. According to the Oregon Secretary of State’s website, Doherty has just over 41% of the vote compared to just over 38% of the vote for Peterson.

Peterson is a farmer from Ione who was previously elected to the Ione School Board and appointed to the Morrow County Planning Commission.

If neither candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, then both will advance to a runoff in the November general election.

Emergency dispatcher Joseph Armato of Heppner is also currently in third with 10.5% of the vote, and Michael Sweek of Heppner is in fourth with just under 10% of the vote.

Treasurer

Less than 250 votes separate the first and fourth-place candidates and nobody has received more than a third of the vote in the county’s four-person race for treasurer. SaBrina Bailey Cave, a county accounting clerk from Ione, is currently first with over 808 votes, good for 30.4% of the 3,081 counted so far.

With a November runoff likely, less than 100 votes separate the three currently vying for second place. Jaylene Papineau of Lexington, who is currently an assessment and tax clerk with the county, holds that honor for now, with 644 votes and 24.23%.

Erik Patton of Heppner, who is a civil records deputy with the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, is in third with 621 votes and 23.36%, while Cody High, the former Heppner mayor, is in fourth with 565 votes and 21.26%.

Justice Court Judge

After being appointed by Gov. Kate Brown at the start of 2020, Glen Diehl of Heppner leads his primary to remain on the county justice court with 42.5%. However, Theresa Crawford of Heppner, a chief deputy clerk with the county, only trails by 79 votes and currently has 39.6% of the vote.

Kelly Doherty, a rancher from Boardman, is in a distant third with just over 17.5% of the vote.

Measure 25-81: Water and Wastewater Facilities Bond

Preliminary results from Boardman show a $20.3 million general obligation bond for water and wastewater facilities is currently passing with nearly two-thirds of the vote to one. According to the Oregon Secretary of State’s website, 241 voters have said yes to the measure and 134 have said no, which amounts to a split of about 64% yes to about 36% no.

If approved, the average annual property tax rate is estimated at $1.56 per $1,000 of assessed value and the bonds would mature within 25 years. The money is meant to pay for a water booster pump station, an approximately 1 million gallon water reservoir, a new water collector well, a 13-acre lagoon, and wastewater lift stations. The money would also help pay for acquiring land for the projects, refinancing outstanding debt and covering the cost of issuing the bonds.