Anders wins with 61%

   Retired Clinton fire chief Wade Anders will be the next Custer County commissioner from District 1.

   Anders defeated Jeremiah Trent, assistant road foreman for present commissioner James Covey, 304 votes to 197 in Tuesday’s Republican primary. The percentages were 60.7 for Anders and 39.3 for Trent. Anders won every precinct.

   Because no Democrat filed, the Republican primary winner becomes the person designated to succeed Covey when he leaves office Dec. 31.

   The commissioners’ calendar calls for Anders to be sworn in on the next working day.

   When Anders is sworn in, Custer County for the first time in history will have an all-Republican board of county commissioners. He will join District 2 Commissioner Kurt Hamburger of Weatherford and District 3 Commissioner Lyle Miller of Clinton, both Republicans.

   That also will give Clinton two seats on the three-man commission.