By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
Four of the eight Canadian County elected offices are up in 2022.
Two incumbents have confirmed they will seek new terms, one will run for the State Senate and the other is undecided.
Candidate filing period will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, April 13-15 for these four Canadian County offices: District 1 commissioner, District 3 commissioner, assessor, and treasurer.
County officers are elected to serve four-year terms.
District 1 Canadian County Commissioner Marc Hader said he intends to file for a third term next month. Hader was first elected in 2014 succeeding Phil Carson before being re-elected in a contested 2018 race.
At least one challenger already has emerged for Hader’s seat.
Tomas Manske, an auctioneer and former Canadian County OSU extension educator, announced last Friday that he will challenge Hader.
Also running for a new term will be Canadian County Assessor Matt Wehmuller, who was first elected to the office in 2010 succeeding Ronnie Funck. Incumbent Wehmuller has been re-elected twice and wants a fourth term.
District 3 Canadian County Commissioner Jack Stewart plans to file – but not for the seat he’s held since 2009. Instead, Stewart said he’ll file for Oklahoma State Senate District 18.
Stewart became District 3 commissioner 13 years ago in a special election to fill a vacancy after the death of Grant Hedrick, Jr. Stewart is in the final year of his third full term.
Stewart’s decision not to seek a fourth term as county commissioner had led to widespread speculation about who will succeed him in District 3.
El Reno Mayor Matt White and Yukon bail bondsman Christi McRee are two prominent names mentioned as possible contenders.
Perennial District 3 commissioner candidate Daniel Pugh recently withdrew his intent to run – soon after the Calumet small business owner had declared he would seek the post.
Meanwhile, Canadian County Treasurer Carolyn Leck said she’s undecided whether she’ll file for re-election. She may wait to announce her decision during April’s filing period.
Leck has worked at the Canadian County Treasurer’s Office since November 1994. She was first elected as county treasurer in 2010 in a three-person race, succeeding David Radcliff; and has been re-elected twice to new terms.
FILING FEE OR PETITION?
Candidates for District 1 county commissioner, District 3 county commissioner, county assessor, and county treasurer must each submit a notarized declaration of candidacy between April 13-15 at the Canadian County Election Board, 200 S Bickford in El Reno.
Filing fee is $300 for county offices.
In lieu of paying the filing fee, a candidate may submit a petition supporting that candidate’s filing signed by at least 2% of registered voters in the county.
The primary election will be Tuesday, June 28 (run-off Aug. 23). The general election will be Tuesday, Nov. 8.
The new four-year terms for District 1 and District 3 county commissioner and county assessor will start in January 2023. The county treasurer’s next term starts in July 2023.
Other Canadian County elected officers are District 2 commissioner (Dave Anderson), county clerk (Sherry Murray), court clerk (Marie Hirst), and county sheriff (Chris West).
