Perry County primary results roll in as all 11 precincts report

Perry County’s countywide Republican nominees moved into position to shape local government as all 11 precincts reported, but the tight Troy Township Board race provided the night’s clearest suspense. Pat York led the three-seat township contest with 316 votes, followed by David A. Coultas with 309 and J.R. Flynn with 303, a 13-vote spread from first to third that showed how little separated the candidates.

The countywide results were more decisive. The visible tally showed Mark Messmer, Daryl Schmitt and Stephen R. Bartels moving through their races along with Samantha Hurst for prosecuting attorney, Traci Vinet for circuit court clerk, Amanda F. Lasher for treasurer, Roger Smith for sheriff, Warren J. Taylor for coroner and Rebecca Thorn for county commissioner district 2. With the dashboard showing 100 percent of the vote in the reported tally, those Republican contests were effectively settled on primary night.

That mattered because several of the offices on the ballot directly affect daily county operations. The Perry County Council, the county’s fiscal body, has seven elected members, four elected from districts and three at large. It controls budgets, compensation, tax rates and appropriations. The prosecutor’s office handles felony and misdemeanor prosecutions, child support enforcement, traffic and infraction cases, juvenile adjudications and victim assistance. The sheriff’s office is based at 2211 Herrman Street in Tell City, while county government is centered at 2219 Payne Street.

The ballot also reflected a broader local map than the name Perry County might suggest. Voting locations were spread across the county, from the 4-H Fairgrounds in Tell City to the Bristow Community Center, Cannelton Library, County Garage in Leopold, Deer Creek Baptist Church, the Depot, Eagle’s Bluff in Cannelton, Hoosier Heights Country Club, the Schergens Center, Troy Fire Station and Twilight Towers. That distribution underscored the county’s small population centers and its wide geographic reach.

Perry County was organized in 1814 and named for War of 1812 hero Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, and its 2026 primary included contested local races for assessor, auditor, circuit court clerk, commissioner district 2, coroner, council districts 1 through 4, prosecutor, sheriff and treasurer. The Democratic side also featured candidates including Sara Harth, Kristinia L. Hammack, Sherri Haller, Mendy Lassaline, Ellen Stone and Bryce J. Hammack. As the county’s spring governing cycle moved past April council and commissioner meetings and into the post-primary season, the GOP slate that emerged now stands to help steer Perry County’s budgets, offices and daily services.