With official results now certified by the Oregon Secretary of State, both Jefferson County Commissioner incumbents have claimed their primary victories and will appear on the November 3 general election ballot unopposed.
Position 1: Wunsch Wins Decisively
Incumbent Mark Wunsch defeated challenger George Curtiss in the race for Commissioner Position 1, collecting 3,600 votes (approximately 58.6%) to Curtiss's 2,493 votes (40.6%). A small number of write-in votes accounted for the remainder of the 6,147 ballots cast in the race.
Wunsch, who has served on the commission and focused his campaign on public safety and transportation infrastructure, said his priority heading into his next term will be continuing to build out the Sheriff's Office.
"We've been able to add five officers to the sheriff's team in the last three and a half years and I want that to improve," Wunsch said during a candidate forum at the Madras Performing Arts Center earlier in the campaign. He also highlighted the county's ongoing challenges with domestic violence, child crimes, and rural law enforcement coverage across Jefferson County's large geography.
Position 2: Simmelink Tops Crowded Field
In the more competitive Position 2 race, four-term incumbent Kelly Simmelink led a crowded field with 3,357 votes (53.7%). Ara Erdekian finished second with 1,477 votes (23.6%), followed by Greg Mead with 962 votes (15.4%) and Bill Atherton with 432 votes (6.9%). Total ballots cast in the race numbered 6,256.
Simmelink, who has served on the commission since 2017, centered her campaign on economic development and public safety momentum. "Things are really steaming along on the economic side of things and I want to continue that momentum," she said at a pre-election forum.
Other Local Measures
Jefferson County voters also weighed in on several local levies in the May primary. The Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District's levy to fund fire, EMS, and wildfire preparedness staffing passed with strong support — 105 yes to 55 no. The Camp Sherman Road District 18's renewal of its local option tax levy for five years also passed comfortably, 130 to 32.
Those results reflect strong community support for emergency services funding in the Camp Sherman and Sisters corridor, an area that has faced increasing wildfire pressure in recent fire seasons.
Looking Ahead
With no opposing candidates having qualified for the November ballot in either commissioner race, Wunsch and Simmelink are effectively set for new terms. Jefferson County's voters will still face choices in the November election for county sheriff and county assessor, where only one candidate — Ray Soliz — filed.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's race, between incumbent Jason Pollock and former deputy Tyler Anderson, carries significant uncertainty given Anderson's ongoing DPSST certification battle. Ballots for the November 3 general election will be mailed to registered voters in mid-October.