By TOM TYE

Boyle County Republicans

When Boyle County recently branded itself as ” Historically Bold,” we had no idea just how prophetic that brand would become.

For the first time since the office of county judge-executive changed from a judicial office to an administrative office, citizens actually had an opportunity to vote for a non-incumbent candidate from each political party.  There were choices from both parties in most of the county-wide races, which seemed to energize voter bases. The result of all that energy was a record 49.14-percent turnout! That is almost unheard of for a midterm election cycle.

This particular campaign was long and hard for all the candidates. Boyle County and Danville have major issues to deal with in the near future and each candidate was passionate about what skills and ideas they could bring to the table to work toward common goals and address these issues. Most campaigns remained extremely positive and focused on how to address these issues.

Candidate forums hosted by the Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce were extremely well attended and provided citizens the opportunity to meet and hear statements from each candidate.  These forums also provided an excellent platform from which each candidate could introduce themselves and their ideas for the future of our community.

Election evening was certainly very dramatic, as the winner for the office of judge-executive was announced and then changed when it was discovered that one precinct had not been included in the totals. Margins were razor-thin for more than one office, which should prove once and for all that every vote does count.

Now that the campaign and election dust has settled, it is time for newly elected officials and returning officials to find common ground and work together on the enormous issues facing our communities.

As citizens, we should do our very best to ignore the R or D labels that were attached to each name on the ballot and find ways to be supportive of each other and our local officials in the coming months and years. Remember that we are all neighbors and want Boyle County and Danville to continue to be Historically Bold and the City of Firsts.

Tom Tye is chair of the Boyle County Republican Party.