In Tuesday’s Barton County primary, county-level political newcomer Duane Reif of Hoisington won a ticket to the Nov. 1 general election to fill the District 1 seat on the Barton County Commission. It was a crowded Republican field with five candidates vying for the opening created when Kirby Krier opted not to seek election.
The ballot also included Jeffery Donecker of Ellinwood, Matthew Gerritzen of Hoisington, Linda Moeder of Beaver and Rick Nulton of Hoisington, all first-time candidates as well. There were no Democrats nor candidates from any other party file for the position.
According to the Barton County website, District 1 takes in the northwest two-thirds of the county and includes Albert, Beaver, Galatia and Hoisington.
Reif received 420 votes out of the 1,298 cast.
All the results are unofficial pending the canvassing of the votes by the County Commission which will meet as the Board of Canvassers. This will happen at 8:30 a.m. next Monday in County Clerk’s Office the Barton Count Courthouse.
“I want to thank my family and my wife Debbie for all their support,” Reif said when reached Tuesday night, “I especially want to thank the voters for trusting me to make decisions on their behalf.”
Reif, 68, is a lifetime resident of District 1, northern Barton County, and has worked in agriculture and oil until his retirement in 2020. He has always been active in the community serving as president of the Hoisington Chamber of Commerce, serving 23 years on the Hoisington Fire Department, sitting on the Hoisington City Council and Zoning Board; and was co-founder of Kans for Kids Fighting Cancer Foundation. He was also Hoisington Citizen of the Year.
He has been married to Deborah Reif for 45 years, has two adult children and two grandchildren.
Commissioners serve four-year terms, with two of the five commissioners being elected in the same year, and the other three commissioners elected two years later.
On this year’s ballot were districts 1, 4 and 5.
Krier was selected for the post by the District 1 Barton County Republican Committee in December 2020 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Kenny Schremmer. Krier was picked to finish out the balance of Schremmer’s term which expires at the end of this year.
