Marion County Sheriff Nick Hunter holds a commanding lead in his first bid for the office after being appointed last year. He has nearly 64%, or 36,431 votes cast, while challenger Stavey Rejain, a deputy, has 20,642 votes. David Carlson, a Salem attorney who largely works on wills, trusts, probate and guardianship cases is leading a close race for the open seat in the Marion County Circuit Court against Michelle Vlach-Ing, a criminal defense attorney, parenting time coordinator and pro tem judge for the city of Salem. Meanwhile in Polk County, early figures show the incumbent Sheriff Mark Garton prevailing over Steve Warden, the emergency services chief for the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. In the race for Polk County treasurer, the incumbent Steve Milligan is ahead against Chris Patoine, chair of the Polk County Planning Commission. Marion County Sheriff A vote tally Tuesday night had Hunter, 47, leading over Rejaian, 42, with 36,431 votes, 63.8%, as of 8 p.m. The race is the first in 26 years that voters have had more than one choice on their ballot for Marion County Sheriff. Both candidates worked in law enforcement for 19 years.  The Marion County Board of Commissioners appointed Hunter from among six applicants in June 2023 to complete the term of retiring Sheriff Joe Kast. The sheriff leads an agency serving nearly 350,000 people, including 37 unincorporated communities in Marion County. Sheriff’s deputies patrol unincorporated east Salem. The winner will take office on Jan. 1, 2025.  Marion County Circuit Court Judge Early figures show Carlson, 55, ahead of Vlach-Ing, 48, with 27,561 votes, 52.4%. Vlach-Ing took the lead in the May primary earlier this year, when the race was a four-person contest. They advanced as the top two candidates for the seat vacated by retiring Judge Donald Abar. When incumbent circuit judges retire mid-term, the governor temporarily appoints their successor until the next election. But Abar retired at the end of his term, leaving that decision in the hands of Marion County voters. A circuit judge in Oregon is a nonpartisan position for which there is rarely a contested race. The position has a six-year term. The county’s 15 circuit court judges preside over criminal and civil cases as well as sentence criminal defendants. The winner will take office on Jan. 6, 2025.  Polk County Sheriff Garton, the incumbent sheriff, is prevailing over challenger Warden with 20,565, 68.6%, in his bid for a third term.  Garton is in his ninth year as Polk County Sheriff. He first came to the job in 2015 after the previous sheriff retired and county commissioners appointed him. He was elected in 2016 and again in 2020 without opposition. Both candidates grew up in the area and have worked in law enforcement since they were teenagers.  The Polk County Sheriff’s Office employs 71 people and has a budget of $15.3 million for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The sheriff is nonpartisan and is elected to a four-year term.  Polk County treasurer The incumbent Milligan is ahead in the race over his challenger, Patoine, with 16,240 votes, 61.2%.  The race comes after a state judge on Sept. 20 ruled that Polk County illegally stripped its elected treasurer of their duties starting in 2016. Milligan, 71, alleged in a lawsuit last November that the county had whittled down the treasurer’s salary to almost zero and assigned work of that office to an unelected county official. He now expects the treasurer to be restored to a full-time position and an annual salary of around $101,000.  Under state law, duties of a county treasurer include receiving and paying out county money, keeping treasury books and issuing monthly financial statements. Polk County has a roughly $125 million annual budget. Milligan was elected treasurer in 2020. He ran unopposed. Patoine, 56, has been the planning commission chair since 2021. He is also a member of the Mid-Willamette Valley Area Commission on Transportation and secretary of the Rickreall Community Water Board. He recently told Salem Reporter that he believes Milligan’s lawsuit was “a huge waste” of taxpayer money. The treasurer is a nonpartisan position with a four-year term. The winner will take office on Jan. 6, 2025. Marion Soil and Water Conservation District Incumbent Peggy Hart is ahead in the race for a seat in the Marion Soil and Water Conservation District over Tony Shepherd, with 27,456 votes, 62%.  It’s a special district, like a school or fire district, covering all of Marion County. Since consolidating from multiple districts in 1971, the soil and water district has focused on protecting and improving soil and water quality throughout the county through answering questions, holding educational events and funding projects to stabilize and protect the region’s water quality. It levies property taxes — less than $15 per year for the average Salem homeowner — to support its activities. Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Hunter holds commanding lead for sheriff, Carlson narrowly ahead in judge contest appeared first on Salem Reporter.