More than usual attention was focused on down ballot election of Park County Republican Central Committee members in Tuesday, Aug. 16 county voting.

The election of precinct committeemen and precinct committeewomen in both parties was final on Aug. 16. The central committee elections are a party function and do not have a primary and a general election.

It isn’t out of the ordinary for the precinct level positions to go unnoticed — many times with few candidates — but not in the 2022 elections.  There were contested elections for the precinct level party positions in many precincts with as many as eight candidates running in Cody precinct 2-1 and six candidates in Cody precinct 4-1.  Four were elected in 2-1 and 4-1.

The 2022 election drew many elected officials, both present and former, to the central committee races. Newly elected Republican precinct representatives to help shape the party role in the county include County Commissioner Joe Tilden, former County Commissioner Bucky Hall, County Assessor Pat Meyer, Powell Mayor John Wetzel, State Rep. Dan Laursen, County Sheriff (soon to be commissioner) Scott Steward, former County Commissioner Lee Livingston, State Rep.-elect David Northrup, County Commissioner Dossie Overfield, County Treasurer Barb Poley and State Rep. Sandy Newsome.

In election day tabulation,  47 Republican committeemen and 40 Republican committeewomen were elected Tuesday in the county’s 29 precincts.  Vacancies in 11 GOP committeemen positions and 18 committeewomen positions could be filled by write-ins.

In Democrat central committee voting Tuesday, three committeemen and five committeewomen positions were filled.  Write-ins could add to the total.

It’s up to the parties to contact recipients of write-in votes to see if they choose to accept. Even one write-in, if accepted, could fill a party central committee position.

In precincts without a candidate on the ballot or without write-in votes, the party can ask registered voters to submit their names and proceed according to their by-laws to fill vacancies.

Martin Kimmet of Clark is chairman of the Park County Republican Central Committee, and he is one of two precinct committeemen elected Tuesday in precinct 1-1.  Kimmet said the new GOP central committee will meet in March to elect officers.

Republican committeemen elected Tuesday were as follows (winners in bold): 

Precinct 4-2- Joe Tilden 82, Paul Lanchbury 74.

Precinct 6-1- Larry French 240.

Precinct 7-2- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 8-1- Bob Ferguson 81.

Precinct 8-2- Michael Oliver 121.

Precinct 8-3- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 9-1- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 9-2- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 11-2- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 23-1- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 24-2- Ralph “Wood” Wilkerson 221.

Precinct 24-3- Bucky Hall 67, Bob Berry 52.

Precinct 1-1- Tracy Lewis 225, Martin Kimmet 217.

Precinct 9-4 John Wetzel 226, Kevin Mitchell 217.

Precinct 9-5- Dusty Spomer 216, Shawn Warner 158, Marvin L. Leonhardt 116.

Precinct 10-1- Dan Laursen 302, Ray Tollman 256.

Precinct 16-1- Scott Steward 262, Lee Livingston 182, Scott Weber 159.

Precinct 24-1- Matt Hall 289, John Thomas 219.

Precinct 25-1- Al Simpson 265, Klay Nelson 171, Terry Hinkle 132, Andre Von Morisse 78.

Precinct 25-2- Marc Thompson 239, Jacob Ivanoff 197.

Precinct 25-3- Colin Simpson 237, Ian K. Morrison 199.

Precinct 2-2- Mack Frost 332, Pat Meyer 202, David Hill 167, Ted Smith 148.

Precinct 3-1- Randy Merritt 360, Chris Bingley 294, one vacancy.

Precinct 9-7- Charlie Moore 361, Troy Bray 316, one vacancy.

Precinct 21-1- Thomas Spiering 408, Eugene Spiering 371, one vacancy.

Precinct 2-1- Landon Greer 362, Brad Miller 275, Vince Vanata 239, Jeffrey Crum 225, Tyson Williams 210, Wayne Hoff 112, Bradley Dunkle 105, Richard Dean Tilbury 66.

Precinct 3-2- Fred Bronnenberg 474, Mathew Moss 413, Tim Lasseter 409, Christopher Williams 374.

Precinct 4-1- Dave McMillan 376, Jim Vetter 375, Pat Alphin 371, Toby Lavigne 320, Mark Maslak 289, Patrick Maslak 141.

Precinct 10-2- David Northrup 498, Andris Vaskis 365, two vacancies.

Republican committeewomen elected Tuesday were as follows (winners in bold face):

Precinct 4-2- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 6-1- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 7-2- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 8-1- Ellen Burkhart 86.

Precinct 8-2- Roberta Oliver 123.

Precinct 8-3- Sherry Johnson 94.

Precinct 9-1- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 9-2- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 11-2- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 23-1- Write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 24-2- Jennifer Wilkerson 225.

Precinct 24-3-  Robin Berry 85.

Precinct 1-1- Susan Hoffert 246, Nicole Forsberg 211.

Precinct 9-4- Shelby Wetzel 274, one vacancy.

Precinct 9-5- Betsy Spomer 247, Thelma Leonhardt 200.

Precinct 10-1- Vicki Tollman 355,  one vacancy.

Precinct 16-1- Marjorie Tallen 231, Laurie Steward 191, Mary Montgomery 100, Charlotte Carlson 98.

Precinct 24-1- Carol Armstrong 250, Donna Merkel 246. 

Precinct 25-1- Ann Simpson 241, Elysa Nelson 123, Lelani Snyder 115, Kate Owens 87, Silas Von Morisse 64.

Precinct 25-2- Jodie Thompson 224, Brandi Nelson 209.

Precinct 25-3- Write-ins could determine two winners.

Precinct 2-2- Write-ins could deterring three winners.

Precinct 3-1- Dossie Overfield 376, Shelley Causey 279, Sandra May Leonard 277.

Precinct 9-7- Dona Becker 344, Jennifer Lohrenz 342, write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 21-1- Janet Spiering 397, Susan Spiering 375, write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 2-1- Stefani Bell 432, Jona Vanata 240, Barb Luthy 205, Kim Borer 203, Jesalynne Crum 169, Tasha Williams 158, Shanell Hatch 135, Lari Rutherford 116.

Precinct 3-2- Rachel Rodriguez-Williams 574, Terri Lasseter 349, Bobbi Bronnenberg 277, write-in could determine one winner.

Precinct 4-1- Barbara Poley 443, Kelly Simone 354, Sheila Leach 353, Sandy Newsome 307, Amanda McGonagle 276, Renee Alphin 265,  Nancy Taylor 202, Cherie Fisher 141.

Precinct 10-2- Kim Feathers 391, Astrid Northrup 384, Cynthia Vaskis 338, write-in could determine one winner.

Democrats elected to their party’s central committee include committeemen John Osgood in Precinct 2-1, Frederick Renaud in Precinct 6-1 and Jan Kliewer in Precinct 10-2.

Democrat committeewomen elected were Ann Pasek in Precinct 2-2, Sharea Lindae Moan-Renaud in Precinct 6-1, Mickey Waddell in Precinct 9-1, Linda Pettengill in Precinct 21-1, and Kelly Tamblyn in Precinct 24-2.