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| 11/5/2008 12:11:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Republicans maintain Wilco control
GOP wins local races, but close call for Birkman
BRAD STUTZMAN
Editor
The Williamson County Republican Party maintained its solid lock on county government Tuesday, but not without the Precinct 1 Commissioners Court race between Lisa Birkman and Mike Grimes going right down to the wire.
Birkman, the Republican incumbent and a Brushy Creek resident, edged Democrat Mike Grimes by just 286 votes out of more than 28,000 cast.
Grimes, a Round Rock attorney, received 14,070 votes (49.5 percent) to 14,356 votes (50.5 percent) for Birkman.
With the narrow win Birkman - the most-tenured member on the five-person Commissioners Court - was elected to her second four-year term.
"It's been a long night," said Birkman, shortly after final results were announced near midnight. "I've always had long nights in my elections."
Birkman noted she beat former Round Rock mayor Charlie Culpepper by even fewer votes when she was initially voted into office.
"I don't know if we expected it to be [this close]," Birkman campaign coordinator Shannon Oseen said. "We didn't know what to expect. When you're looking at Precinct 1, you've got the Austin part of Williamson County. You've got more Democrats."
Birkman trailed by 145 votes after early voting results were announced. But as precincts reported in, she slowly cut into Grimes' lead. Shortly after 9:30 p.m., Birkman gained a lead she would not relinquish.
Grimes - who ran on a platform that included his belief county government should not be dominated by one political party - was pleased with his effort, if not the final result.
"I got a lot of bipartisan support," Grimes said. "A lot of independents."
No Democrat has served on the Williamson County Commissioners Court since the late Jerry Mehevec, of Taylor, stepped down after completing his last term in 1998.
The GOP had an easier time of it in the Precinct 3 race, where Georgetown Republican Valerie Covey was re-elected.
Covey swamped Georgetown Democrat Greg Windham 27,313 (61.3 percent) to 14,809 (33.3 percent). Libertarian candidate James Atwell Andrews of Jarrell received 2,417 votes (5.4 percent).
"I'm humbled by it," said Covey, who was elected to her first full four-year term. She was initially elected to Commissioners Court two years ago, in a special mid-term election following the death of her predecessor and former employer, Tom McDaniel.
"Any time you get a new job there's an uphill learning curve," Covey said. "Just the diversity of the commissioners' job, I enjoy that in a growing county."
Voters also gave Republican County Attorney Jana Duty a second four-year term of office.
Duty recorded 86,076 votes (57.7 percent) in her victory over Cedar Park Democrat Jaime Lynn, who tallied 62,996 votes (42.2 percent).
"I'm pleased to see Jana and Commissioner Covey won a convincing victory for us," Williamson County Republican Party Chairman Bill Fairbrother said.
In other locally-contested races, incumbent Republican candidates Sheriff James Wilson (77 percent), Tax Assessor-Collector Deborah Hunt (81 percent) and Precinct 4 Constable Marty Ruble (74 percent) each rolled to easy victories over Libertarian opponents.
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