Commission incumbents hold on despite tough campaigns

Jeff Schweers

Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

It's looking like the Night of the Living Incumbents in the three County Commission races.

With about half the precincts reporting, County Commissioner Paul Christensen was well on his way to beating upstart Brooks Compton for a fourth term representing District C.

Compton threw everything he could at Christensen in what turned out to be the dirtiest campaign this season, but managed to draw only 32 percent of voters who thought Christensen had been on the commission long enough.

"I'm not sure where we are yet," said a cautious Christensen. "I don't put this in the bank until I've got the money. You can't deliver the check if you haven't got the check yet."

Christensen upheld his record while fending off Compton's allegations that he approved a child care work card for a prostitute and cut a special sewer hookup deal for a friend who held Hitler birthday parties.

"I feel I've been beat up badly in a race," Christensen said of the negative campaigning. "It keeps good people from running. These below-the-belt attacks don't do anyone in the community any good."

Christensen, a Democrat, will likely face Metro Police Officer Lance Malone in the Nov. 5 general election. Malone had a big lead with 65 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, followed by Dave Hough with 22 percent and county affirmative action director George Cotton with 12.5 percent.

"I don't know about Malone," Christensen said. "I pay attention to one race at a time."

Meanwhile, commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates has locked up her District D race against challenger Carlo Poliak with 82 percent of the vote to his 17.8 percent.

"I had no idea the people in my district supported me so heavily," said Gates, who will likely face Republican Earl Swift in the Nov. 5 general election. Swift was pulling about 60 percent of the vote to community activist Anthony "Tuddy" Snowden's 40 percent.

Gates thought she would be facing Snowden because of the prevalence of his yard signs, "but I guess Swift was just a smarter campaigner."

Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, meanwhile, held off his Republican challenger Richard Bell in the District A primary, with 72.5 percent of the vote to Bell's 27.5 percent. Woodbury will face independent candidate Lee Wayne Haynes in the general.

"You never take it for granted," Woodbury said. "People expect you to go out and ask for their vote."

When it was pointed out that Gates was doing better in the polls, Woodbury said, "I'll have to raise my sights higher for the general, and get it over 80."