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Todd Miller elected as auditor, assessor [Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.) :: ](Merced Sun-Star (CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) June 11--With 56.4 percent of the votes, Madera County residents elected Todd Miller to the position of auditor-controller. Miller has 37 years' experience as a certified public accountant and has been a Madera County resident for 20 years. He will replace Auditor-Controller Marcia Hall, who was appointed to the position by the Madera County Board of Supervisors. Hall resigned from her position following the election. Madera City Council member and former mayor Gary Svanda was elected the county's newest assessor, replacing retiring Tom Kidwell. Svanda beat his opponent, Scott Runtzel, with 56.4 percent of the votes. Svanda received 7,922 votes to Runtzel's 6,064. The race for district attorney will be decided in November. David Linn, an attorney from Oakhurst, outdistanced incumbent District Attorney Michael Keitz with 43.8 percent of the votes. He needed 51 percent to win the election in June. Linn had 6,404 votes compared to Keitz's 5,293 votes. Out of the six candidates running for Madera County Sheriff, Chowchilla Police Chief Jay Varney received the most votes with 4,656 votes, or 31.4 percent. Madera County Undersheriff Michael Salvador took the second spot with 3,241 votes, 21.9 percent of the votes. The two will face off in the November election. Coming in third was Dennis Fairbanks with 2,658 votes, 18 percent; Michael Klime, 1,694, 1.4 percent; Greg Noll, 1,569, 10.6 percent and Frank Gauthier with 953, 6.4 percent. Returning to office and running unopposed were Madera County Superintendent of Schools Cecilia Massetti; Madera County District 2 Supervisor David Rogers, Madera County Clerk-Recorder Rebecca Martinez and Madera County Tax Collector-Treasurer Tracy Kennedy Desmond. Madera County District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler was reelected to his office with 64.7 percent of the votes. The race for Madera County District 1 Supervisor was close. Five candidates ran for the position. The top three were Mona Diaz, with 773 votes; Gary Johns, 681 votes; and Brett Frazier, 676 votes. Madera County Clerk-Registrar of Voters Rebecca Martinez has 30 days to certify the vote. There are still provisional and absentee ballots to count. The final numbers are expected in by July 1. ___ (c)2014 the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.) Visit the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.) at www.mercedsunstar.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |