Agler, Longbine top city field
Mercer and Wayman eliminated in race for city commission
By Brandy Nance , Scott Rochat
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Bobbie Agler and Jeff Longbine spent Tuesday night in a neck-and-neck race to the top of the Emporia City Commission primary results.
At one point, the two men were separated by only two votes. With all nine precincts in, unofficial results showed the incumbent Agler with 1,289 votes and Longbine with 1,217 votes.
“I’m very happy with the results,” Agler said following the final tally at the Lyon County Courthouse. “We had some really super candidates this year. The way the results came out is very humbling.”
The primary narrowed the field from eight candidates to six. The two eliminated were lawn-care business owner Percy Wayman, the first man to file in the race, and Emporia State University custodian Mike Mercer, who had been running as an “average guy.”
Wayman, who finished last with 199 votes, was unavailable for comment. In a phone message left at the Gazette, he stated that he does not make political comments from his home.
Mercer congratulated the winning candidates and thanked his own supporters, saying that he just hadn't taken enough time to prepare.
"I probably could have spent more time researching the issues," he said.
During his own campaign, Mercer said that the city street crews needed more men, so they could make more lasting repairs to Emporia's infrastructure. On Tuesday, he said that he hoped one of the other candidates would pick up that cause.
In the meantime, he said, he would be endorsing challenger Phil Dillon.
"I think he's done by far the most research on the issues of any of the candidates," Mercer said. "He'd be a fresh face with a new take on the issues."
Agler said that with the primary over, it was time to step up the campaign for the April 3 general election. At that stage, the top three candidates will win election to the city commission. The first and second-place finishers will win four-year terms, while the third-place finisher will win a two-year term.
“We have to take it to the next level to come out in a strong position,” Agler said. “Taxes have got to be at the top of this list and economic development both commercial and industrial.”
Longbine, an Emporia car dealer, also spent the evening at the courthouse waiting for returns to roll in. He said he was pleased with the results.
“I think it’s time to get out and visit with as many people as possible,” Longbine said. “I’m really happy about the results so far. ... The whole thing was a surprise for me being a novice.”
Longbine said he knows this is only the first step to the general election.
“I continue to urge anybody that has an idea or view to contact (me),” Longbine said. “Share and discuss views.”
Emporia school board member Kevin Nelson pulled in a strong third place with 906 votes. He admitted that his own candidacy was probably hurt by failing to attend a candidate forum last week, due to a previous commitment.
At this stage, he said, the possibilities were still wide open.
“Bobbie’s done a good job and Jeff’s known all over town,” Nelson said. “And Tom (Myers) is not that far behind. So it’s anybody’s race right now.”
Phil Dillon, a retiree, finished fifth with 730 votes. He called it “a real good first step” and talked about some of his ideas for the next leg of the race.
“Downtown development is badly needed,” he said. “We need to continue to rebuild the economy.”
Dillon wasn’t far behind incumbent City Commissioner Tom Myers, who took home a fourth place finish with 800 votes. But Myers was satisfied with landing in the top six.
“That’s where I was hoping to finish,” he said. “If you don’t finish there, it’s time to go home.”
Myers said several factors came helped him make it to the next round.
“People pay attention to the city and are aware of its efforts,” Myers said. “We had a small turnout. People were (probably) confident that it would turn out the way they hoped.”
Myers said the city commission has been through some tough issues recently.
“We have weathered some strong issues that weren’t out fault,” he said. “We’ve got to keep the finances very sharp to reduce expenditures.”
Emporia businessman Jesse Solis stayed in the running with 644 votes, a sixth-place finish.
“I feel good,” Solis said. “I’m so happy. I received 644 votes. That’s fantastic. I’m in the race.”
Solis said the campaign has a long way to go before April.
“I think the race has only begun,” he said. “We need to do a lot of campaigning and there’s a lot to be learned. We’re going to have to step it up a bit and just continue. We need to grab another gear and move forward.”
The votes will be canvassed Friday by the Lyon County Commission. The final totals will be announced at that time.