06 04 14 Roswell Daily Record

Page 1

Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

Vol. 123, No. 134 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday

June 4, 2014

WEDNESDAY

www.rdrnews.com

Sheriff’s race uncertain; leans toward Snyder Rogers retains in judge race BY JEFF TUCKER, RANDAL SEYLER AND TIM HOWSARE RECORD STAFF

The race for Chaves County sheriff see-sawed back and forth Tuesday night, with Britt Snyder up by 12 votes when all the ballots were counted, although there was still uncertainty about which candidate had won the four-way race. The final vote tally gave Snyder 1,666 votes, or 38.45 percent, with Pat Barncastle receiving 1,654 votes, or 38.17 percent. Snyder and Barncastle ran away with the night. Fellow sheriff candidates Arthur Fleming and Gary Graves shared less than 24 percent of the vote, with Fleming receiving 571 and Graves catching 442 votes. Chaves County Clerk Dave Kunko said the vote totals included all early, absentee and military votes, as well as all election day ballots. However, the unknown variable was the number of provisional ballots and whether there would be

enough to sway the election. Kunko said late Tuesday the sheriff’s race was still uncertain. “If there are any valid ones,” Kunko said. “We really don’t know at this point. Some of them do pan out as good. When you have close races like that, it’s definitely uncertain.” Provisional ballots are those set aside because of voting irregularities and therefore not initially counted on election night. Some could be considered valid, and therefore could change the final tallies. The county clerk’s office is responsible for verifying whether provisional ballots should be included. The drama is set to unfold Friday mor ning when the Chaves County commissioners canvass the election results, and therefore sanction the official election results. Another potential wrinkle is whether Barncastle will request a recount, like the recount four years ago

See ELECTION, Page A3

Randal Seyler Photo

Magistrate Judge K.C. Rogers hugs his wife, Mary, after hearing he has won his election, defeating challenger Bobby Arnett 650 to 552 votes in Tuesday’s Primary Election.

Arnett, Barncastle led others in fundraising BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER

Magistrate judge candidate Bobby Arnett and Chaves County sheriff candidate Patrick Barncastle led their respective fields in fundraising for Tuesday’s Republican primary, both by significant margins. Arnett maintained a significant fundraising advantage over Judge Keith “K.C.” Rogers throughout the magistrate’s race, and widened the

gap in recent weeks, according to campaign finance reports filed last week by the candidates with the New Mexico secretary of state office.

Ar nett had raised a total of $33,146 through May 27 in his campaign for the Republican nomination for Magistrate Judge Division 1 in Chaves County.

Rogers, the incumbent, had raised a total of $13,790 in an effort to retain his seat on the bench.

In the reporting period covering May 6 through 27, Arnett raised $9,410 and spent $10,153. Rogers raised $1,895 in the timeframe, and spent $3,087. Arnett, of Roswell, closed the third primary reporting period on May 27 with $8,241 cash on hand, while Rogers, of Midway, had $5,753 left in his campaign coffers. Arnett continued to reap several See FUNDRAISING, Page A3

Randal Seyler Photo

Chaves County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy and candidate for Sheriff Britt Snyder, center, celebrates with his family during Tuesday night’s election watch party at Carmine’s Authentic Italian Eatery. Snyder ended the evening leading the pack of four candidates by a mere 12 votes.

Historic library on the auction block King wins primary BY DJ PORTER SPECIAL TO THE ROSWELL DAILY RECORD

Timothy P. Howsare Photo

Roswell’s former Carnegie Library will be sold at an auction on Friday. The library closed in 1978 when the new, larger library opened at Fourth Street and North Pennsylania Avenue.

HIGH 108 LOW 69 TODAY’S FORECAST

Have you noticed the curved staircases rising from the sidewalk while walking downtown on West Third Street? This is a trademark detail required for Car negie libraries. It symbolizes a person’s elevation, or growth, through learning. Roswell’s Car negie Library is up for auction Friday through Ranchline Taylor and Taylor Realtors, LTD. Its estimated value is $375,000. The lucky buyer will lay claim to a 6,337-square-foot building that has history echoing through it and even a possible alien in the basement. It is located in the heart of downtown business district. Ranchline representative Nicole Vargas said there has been interest shown by several buyers. One group wants to convert it to a homeless shelter for veterans. Another has plans to establish a hostel — an inexpensive, supervised lodging facility for young people. Vargas pointed out several his-

• MONICA THERESA GUTIERREZ MADRID • DOYLE LEE MILES • JOYCE P. HICKS

toric features including huge rooms, an antique armoire, amazing wooden staircases and even a dumbwaiter. “It just needs love and care and someone who is passionate about the history of the building,” she said. Though there is a desire for the Roswell Historical Society to do something to keep the library, Larry Knadle, board member of the society, noted that ADA and building code requirements make renovating historic properties costly. A survey done in 2006 estimated repair costs to be approximately $60,000. This did not include possible asbestos removal. Jan Dunnahoo, a lifelong resident, has fond memories of the Carnegie Library. She recalls, “When I was really, really small, my mother and brother would walk to town about a mile and a half. This was before my mother drove. “We would shop downtown and get my brother’s hair cut at the barberSee LIBRARY, Page A2

TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A2, A6 • VICTORIA NUNEZ • FRANCISCO “FRANK” DAVID MONTOYA HERRERA • JOHANNA ANN • ARCHIE D. WEITNER SCHMIDLEN • LAWANDA FURNEY

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Two-term Attorney General Gary King won New Mexico’s Democratic gubernatorial contest Tuesday for the right to challenge Republican Gov. Susana Martinez in the general election. Martinez, who’s favored to win re-election, is a rising star in GOP circles as the nation’s first female Hispanic gover nor. The first-term governor had no primary election opponent. King defeated four other candidates with a little over a third of the vote, according to unofficial incomplete returns. He led in the voterich Albuquerque metropolitan area and large swaths of the rest of the state, including ranching and oilproducing regions. “This is the battle for the future of New Mexico — and this starts tomorrow,” King told cheering supporters in a victory speech. He pointed out that a recent report ranked New Mexico worst in the country in child well-being. “We are going to stand together for families. We’re going to stand together for the working people in the state of New Mexico. We’re going to stand together for teachers and education.” Santa Fe businessman • GARY LEE ST. LOUIS

Alan Webber ran second behind King, followed by former government administrator Lawrence Rael of Albuquerque and state Sen. Howie Morales of Silver City. State Sen. Linda Lovejoy of Albuquerque trailed.

Without a primary opponent, Martinez has amassed a hefty campaign war chest of more than $4 million and aired television advertisements to polish her image and frame the general election on her terms. One recent ad said Democrats would return to the “same failed agenda” of former Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson. Martinez hammered at that theme in remarks to party loyalists on election night, saying the primary results “make clear what this race is really all about: the past versus the future, moving forward or taking our state backward.” “Do we want a governor who is willing to lead, willing to shake things up, who truly believes the best days are ahead of us?” Martinez asked. “Or do we want a governor who believes that our best days are behind us — that we should turn back the clock.”

INDEX CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 LOTTERIES .............A2 COMICS .................B5 OPINION .................A4 FINANCIAL ..............B3 SPORTS .................B1 HOROSCOPES .........A8 WEATHER ..............A8


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
06 04 14 Roswell Daily Record by Roswell Daily Record - Issuu