Bohnert, Wengert win races in Perry County

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correctly identify Jared W. Kutz.

Perry County, Missouri, saw record voter turnout Tuesday. According to Perry County Clerk Jared W. Kutz, more than 8,000 registered voters went to the polls. "The unofficial 8,869 total ballots cast [is] the most ever cast for an election in the Perry County," Kutz said in an email, "surpassing 2008 8,827 by 142 votes."

Among the state and national races, there were two contested local races in Perry County. Both resulted in wins for the Republican party. The winners will replace Democratic incumbents.

Coroner

William "Bill" Bohnert will replace Jim Martin as Perry County Coroner. Bohnert received a total of 5,911 votes -- 70.39 percent -- over Martin's 2,465.

Martin, a Democrat, was appointed by Gov. Jay Nixon in March, and sought a full four-year term. He had been appointed to replace longtime coroner Herbert Miller, who resigned last year after being convicted of financial exploitation of an elderly or disabled person and theft of more than $80,000.

Bohnert, who retired from the Cape Girardeau Police Department in 2013, said when Miller was charged, he was often asked if he would be interested in the role. "I think they wanted someone trained and with experience in the position," Bohnert said.

Bohnert campaigned on his background: He had a 30-year career in law enforcement, serving on the major-case squad for Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties for 16 years.

He works part-time for a private investigation firm. He said prior to the election that, if elected, he would not work on any cases that would conflict with his duties as coroner.

Bohnert said both he and Martin ran "a good, clean race," and he hopes they can work together to make the transition a smooth one.

Jay Wengert

Associate Commissioner, District 1

Republican Jay Wengert will replace Democratic incumbent Patrick Heaps, who did not seek re-election, as Perry County District 1 associate commissioner. Wengert, a self-employed commercial and residential contractor, received 79.02 percent of the votes, for a total of 3,311. He was challenged by Marion Brown, a farmer who worked for Mississippi Lime Co. in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, for 43 years before retiring. Brown ultimately took 20.88 percent of the vote.

In his campaign, Wengert stressed the need for economic development and to ensure both new and existing businesses and industry have an environment where they can grow.

He also indicated the desire to make efficient use of the county's resources, which includes maintaining, and when the budget allows, paving some 500 miles of county roads.

Wengert was pleased with Tuesday night's results, and said the efforts of his friends and family made his success possible. "I'm real happy with the result. We worked hard," Wengert said. "The residents of Perry County have always treated us real good, and I'm looking forward to serving them as well as I can.

bbrown@semissourian.com

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