Democrat Doug Malone will face incumbent Republican Paul Herrell for the one Lawrence County Commission seat up for grabs in November's General Election.

Malone Tuesday evening captured 1,443 votes, roughly 55.08 percent of the total Democratic votes cast.

Conley garnered 1,177 votes.

&uot;I’m pretty happy with it,&uot; Malone said of his win.

Four years ago, Malone lost his race by only 16 votes, so he figures he learned something along the way that gave him a competitive edge.

He had only praise for his opponent.

&uot;He worked hard, ran a clean race, and he ought to be proud of himself,&uot; Malone said of Conley. &uot;I think there were five excellent people in this race.&uot;

Malone said he worked hard to win the nomination, calling people, even on election day, and encouraging them to vote.

He was bolstered throughout the evening by wife, Bonnie, daughter Audrey, son Matt and granddaughter Hailey.

Incumbent Commissioner Paul Herrell took an early lead on the GOP side as precinct tallies began to filter into the courthouse.

By the time all the 84 precincts were accounted for, Herrell got 1,924 votes– roughly 53 percent of all Republican votes cast.

&uot;I’m tickled to death,&uot; Herrell said while celebrating with supporters at the Roush Community Center in Coal Grove. &uot;With this low turnout, you never know.&uot;

Herrell said he thought his win could be attributed to a three main issues: the county’s effort to extend water lines to rural areas, the turn around in the Rome sewer system, and the county’s efforts to cut its budget and save taxpayer’s money.

&uot;And I worked hard, too,&uot; Herrell said, noting that he and his supporters knocked on doors, conducted two mailings and made phone calls to get his message across.

He complimented his opponents Perry Brock and Jim Coleman on their efforts to win the nomination.

&uot;We all run a good clean race, and that’s the way it should be,&uot; Herrell said. By Teresa Moore