Candidate for Union County Commissioner Tony Eufinger, center, looks at election results posted by Council member Aaron Carpenter, left, and Justin Hogan at the Marysville High School polling location Tuesday night. (Journal-Tribune photo by Kayleen Petrovia)
GOP commissioner candidate has no trouble fending off Eufinger
Republicans Steve Robinson and Dave Burke have each been elected a Union County Commissioner.
According to unofficial results from the Union County Board of Elections, Robinson has defeated Democrat Tony Eufinger. Burke was unopposed.
“I am just pleased that everybody could see that I was the one to elect,” Robinson said. “It is kind of humbling when you have not been a politician before.”
Unofficial results list Robinson with 19,363 votes, about 60.3% of the votes cast, while Eufinger earned 12,730 votes, about 39.7%. Robinson won 39 of the 45 precincts in the county, including nine of the precincts in the city of Marysville.
Robinson thanked family, supporters and his opponent. He said the two candidates ran “a nice campaign.”
Eufinger agreed.
“We ran a deeply positive campaign. We ran on issues I think are important to the county,” Eufinger said this morning. “We came up short, but we will regroup and see what God has in store.”
He said called Robinson “a good man.”
“I know Union County will be in good hands,” Eufinger said.
Robinson will take office Jan. 2 and fill the seat currently held by Steve Stolte. Robinson is a farmer and owns an excavation company.
Burke will fill the commissioner seat currently held by Charles Hall. Burke, who earned 26,271 votes, will take office Jan. 3.
“I am honored,” said Burke, who owns and operates a pharmacy and serves as a state senator. “I look forward to serving back at home.”
He added that he wants to, “make my community, the whole county, a better place to live and work.”
Burke said he likes the “diversity in the county commissioners” of having a lawyer in current commissioner Chris Schmenk as well as a small business owner with experience in state government and a farmer.
“I think that is very representative of our county,” Burke said.
Robinson said Union County is still an agrarian community and the local farmers need someone who represents them and understand their unique concerns. He has said his work as commissioner would be an extension of his work with a variety of local, state and national conservation organizations.
Even so, Robinson said he has made no promises because he knows that he is one of three votes on the commission.
“It takes a team to make decisions,” Robinson said. “I am honored to be part of that team.”
Burke said he sees growth as the largest issue facing Union County. He said the county is expected to grow nearly one and a half times its current size in the next 20 years.
“Growth can be good,” Burke said this morning. He said growth helps keep the county relevant. He said it needs to be managed and “we will only have one chance to work together and get it right.”
He added that, “as long as we can keep a balance in check, we can continue to have a strong community.”
Robinson also said growth, along with the solar farms proposed for northern Union County, is the biggest issue facing the county.
Burke said he has represented the county in the state capitol for 12 years and is looking forward to working in his community again.
“I can’t tell you how thrilled I am,” Burke said.
In the primary election, Robinson defeated Jerry McClary, J.R. Rausch, Andrew C. Smarra and Kim Zacharias. Eufinger was unopposed.
Burke defeated Ron Goddard in the primary election.