Hook squeaks out win in Western District Commissioner race
By Chris Fortune
After what initially appeared to be an upset, Ron Hook has held Buchanan County’s Western District commissioner seat.
Incumbent Democrat Hook currently has a 20-ballot advantage over Republican Everett Goddard Jr. Hook has held the seat since 2009. There were a handful of write-in candidates in the race.
With 100% of the county’s unofficial results reported, Goddard initially had a 104-vote lead. However, County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey confirmed the current numbers show Hook ahead by just 20 votes. The results remain unofficial, and Republican officials told News-Press NOW reporters Tuesday evening they are considering a challenge to the vote count.
Hook, contacted late Tuesday, expressed his gratitude to his backers.
“I just want to thank all the supporters and all the people that voted for me and has always supported me, especially my family,” Hook said.
Hook said he is disappointed by the negative turn the race took during the campaign.
“There was a lot of misinformation, there was a lot of lies and things put out against me,” Hook said.
Hook has been the district’s commissioner for 15 years and was born and raised in St. Joseph. Recently, he has been working on a project to dredge Lake Contrary. The county is waiting on permits from the Army Corps of Engineers before advancing on the project.
Hook previously told News-Press NOW his objective is to identify and solve problems by listening to residents. Over the last 15 years, he said he has learned that there is a new task every day.
“My motto is, on a complaint, basically dealing with safety issues such as roads, stop signs, anything of that sort that provides an unsafe atmosphere for the community, we react as quick as possible — no later than 24 hours,” he said. “If we get a call late on a Friday night, myself, or my road supervisor, or somebody from the barn, we’ll go out and get it corrected before Monday.”
Goddard of DeKalb owns Rusty Hook Bait and Tackle at 6731 U.S. Route 59 and works as a subcontractor for the Navy with Intercon. He worked at the western district barn, which influenced his decision to enter the race.
