Jeff Sellers

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

Damon Beierle and Jane Marie Hurst will take office in January after winning the Republican primary runoff for their respective races Tuesday night in final but unofficial results.

There will be May 22 runoffs in the two contested races in the Burnet County Republican County primary after final but unofficial results were announced Tuesday night.

In the Precinct 2 Commissioner race, Tom Stephens and Damon Beierle have advanced to a runoff election. Stephens had a plurality of votes with 703, or 45.21 percent, while Beierle had 616 votes, or 39.61 percent. Ryan Rowney received 236 votes, or 15.18 percent.

In the Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace race, Jane Marie Hurst led the votegetters with 401 votes, or 39.74 percent, while Jeff Sellers had 365, or 36.17 percent. Carey Headrick had 243 votes, or 24.08 percent.

There are still 30 provisional ballots and one overseas ballot which has not been received so far, according to Elections Administrator Doug Ferguson.

Burnet County Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Peggy Shell Simon announced last week she will not be seeking re-election to the position she has held since January 1991.

Simon made the announcement Thursday night at the Lakes Republican Club. At least two candidates have announced they want to succeed Simon – former Marble Falls mayor pro Tem and local real estate broker Jane Marie Hurst, and Jeff Sellers, a volunteer firefighter who also has a background in mediation, emergency management, private investigations and law enforcement.

Efforts to reach Simon, who was out of town at a conference Monday, were unsuccessful, but both Hurst and Sellers expressed their appreciation for the longtime public servant.