Voters in Starke County have selected the Democratic and Republican Party nominees for sheriff. Bill Dulin got the most votes of any candidate on the ballot, beating fellow Democrat Harold Smith by nearly 1,000 votes, according to unofficial totals.
“We’ve got a lot of momentum going in. We’re going to take a couple months off and regather our thoughts and hit it again come November,” Dulin said.
Smith got 850 votes to Dulin’s 1,840 and admits he’s disappointed. “We tried. Like I said, the final results came in, and it is what it is,” he told WKVI news.
On the Republican side, Bill Bope beat Greg Wireman by a margin of 646 to 381 and said he’s excited about the Nov. 4 General Election.
“It’s a big step, but we’re looking forward to it,” Bope told WKVI news. “I believe we have a great chance. We just need the people to get behind us, and we’re looking forward to making a difference in this community.”
Wireman encouraged his supporters to get behind Bope’s candidacy. “The party will unite as one together, fight together to try to unify everybody under the idea that we want to make changes for the community. We’ve got a lot of issues that need to be addressed,” he said.
Should an independent or minor party candidate decide to enter the race, the deadline to file the necessary paperwork with the county clerk’s office is Monday, June 30.
