Chief Deputy Terese Amazi proved to be a formidable candidate in Tuesday's State Primary Election for Mower County sheriff.

The Mower County Sheriff's Department veteran was the leading vote-getter among all candidates for county offices.

She and Austin Police Department officer Todd A. Clennon will advance to the Tuesday, Nov. 5, general election.

Meanwhile, incumbent Mower County Attorney Patrick A. Oman and Assistant Mower County Attorney, Patrick W. Flanagan will square off in November.

Two former DFL Party friends will hold a rematch in the 4th District Mower County Commissioner race in November. Dick Lang and Len Miller will advance.

Also Tuesday, a Minnesota Supreme Court associate justice, who biked through Austin this summer, proved to be the overwhelming choice of Mower County voters in the State Primary Election locally.

4th District Mower

County Commissioner

Dick Lang, an Austin 3rd Ward city council member, was the leading vote-getter.

Lang received 471 votes Tuesday, or 51 percent of the unofficial vote total.

Incumbent 4th District county commissioner, Len Miller, received 252 votes or 27 percent of the vote total.

Challenger Donna J. Olson received 202 votes or 22 percent of the vote total.

In the 2000 general election, Miller defeated Lang lost by only 40 votes to earn his second 4-year term on the Mower County Board of Commissioners.

The 4th District includes all of the city of Austin's Third Ward, where Lang is a council representative.

Mower County sheriff

Terese Amazi was the leading vote-getter in Tuesday's State Primary Election for Mower County sheriff.

She received 3,213 votes or 64 percent of the unofficial vote total. That was more than the other two candidates combined received.

Todd Clennon, an Austin police officer, will also advance to the November 5 General Election. Clennon received 1,199 votes or 24 percent of the unofficial vote total.

Michael Cherney, an Adams City Council member, who is a lieutenant in the Lanesboro Police Department, finished third with 559 votes or 11 percent of the vote total.

Mower County Attorney

Patrick W. Flanagan, an Assistant Mower County Attorney, was the top vote-getter in Tuesday's primary race for Mower County Attorney.

Flanagan received 1,921 votes or 39 percent of the unofficial vote total.

Mower County Attorney Patrick A. Oman finished second with 1,847 votes or 37 percent of the unofficial vote total.

Another Assistant Mower County Attorney, Jonathan Olson finished third with 1,167 votes or 23 percent of the vote total.

Supreme Court

Mower County voters gave incumbent Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court their over-whelming support Tuesday.

Anderson received 3,370 votes or 74 percent of the unofficial primary total in mower County.

Jack Baker received 668 votes or 15 percent

and Allan W. Lamkin received 498 or 11 percent.

This means, the incumbent associate justice and Baker will be on November's general election ballots.

Anderson visited Austin, when the Supreme Court held offices at Austin High School.

He returned this summer as a member of the MS TRAM bike ride across the state.

Anderson has had the support of Hormel Foods Corporation's general counsel Mahlon

C. Schneider, who praised the Supreme Court's most senior member for improving the court's accessibility among other attributes.

For the latest in all State Primary Election results to the Minnesota Secretary of State's web site http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at

lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com