Nickles rolls over Hunter in District 4 race

Hunter: 666, 28%

Nickles:

1,687, 72%

Nickles hailed as someone who unites people

By George L. Jones and Amy Collins

The Selma Times-Journal

Challenger Larry Nickles unseated incumbent Clifford Hunter in the District 4 race for county commissioner

by a margin of more than 1,000 votes in the Democratic Primary on Tuesday.

Nickles won&8217;t have an opponent in November because no Republicans qualified in the race.

With all 31 precincts reporting, in unofficial returns, Nickles beat Hunter 1,687-666.

The Orrville native had previously run for the seat in 2004, losing to now Probate Judge Kim Ballard.

Ballard said he&8217;d become friends with the former opponent and looked forward to working with him on the commission.

The probate judge said Nickles obviously united black and white in his bid for the seat, a good indication of what the public can expect from the first-term commissioner.

Nickles earlier this year challenged Hunter&8217;s spot on the Democratic ballot because Hunter had run for a spot on the county school board under the Freedom party ticket during the 2006 election.

Nickles cited the Radney Rule, which prohibits candidates from running as Democrats for four years if they vote for or support any other party during the previous general election.

The Dallas County Democratic Party Executive Committee allowed Hunter to run as a Democrat after a hearing in April.