County positions up for election this year

AREA COUNTIES – County positions for state’s attorney, sheriff, assistant and side judge and high bailiff are up for re-election this year, with petitions for major party candidates required to have been filed late last month.

State’s attorneys in the four-county area are all running unopposed, with Caledonia County State’s Attorney Claire Burns (R-Walden), Lamoille County State’s Attorney Aliena Gerhard (D-Craftsbury), Orleans County State’s Attorney Farzana Leyva (R-Westfield) and Washington County State’s Attorney Michelle Donnelly (D-Barre City) all expected to move through the August primary into the November general election and retain their positions.

In the race for Caledonia County Sheriff, first-term Sheriff Brandon Thrailkill (R-Lyndon) faces primary opposition from current High Bailiff Roger Gerrish (R-Lyndon). Gerrish defeated Thrailkill to fill the high bailiff position in the 2022 election.

Both candidates have established websites to support their candidacy with Thrailkill’s at thrailkillforcaledoniasheriff.com and Gerrish’s at gerrishforsheriff.com, where they each supply information about their law enforcement careers..

Sheriffs in Orleans, Lamoille and Washington Counties are unopposed in their bids for reelection, with Sheriff Marc Poulin in Washington County, Sheriff Jennifer Harlow in Orleans County and Sheriff Roger Marcoux in Lamoille County.

Each county elects two side judges. In Lamoille County just one candidate, John “Randy” Randall Pratt (D-Wolcott) is running. Pratt indicated he is not required to provide financial or employment information.

Neither of the current Lamoille County Side Judges, Madeline M. Motta nor Patricia Gabel, whose terms are up December 31 of this year, filed to run again. The governor will appoint someone to fill the position if a second candidate is not elected from Lamoille County in November.

Incumbent Orleans County Side Judges Curtis A. Hardy (R-Newport) and Sean C. Selby (R-W. Charleston) are running again unopposed to fill the positions they currently hold.

Both Washington County Side Judge positions are up at the end of this year, with only Leah Murphy (D-Montpelier) running again and Elizabeth Battey not filing to run this year.

Murphy faces two primary candidates in Caleb Curry (D-Montpelier) and Anne Diele (D-Berlin). Only two of them will move through to the November election to face Republican candidate Ture Nelson (R-Montpelier).

No one has filed to fill the two Caledonia County side judge positions, which will be appointed by the governor in the absence of an elected candidate.

High bailiffs are elected county officials who serve as a legal check and constitutional backup to county sheriffs. They have two specific duties, as the only official authorized to serve legal processes, summonses or a writ of arrest to the county sheriff. They may temporarily serve as county sheriff if an elected or appointed sheriff is unable to serve, with full sheriff powers until the sheriff is again able to serve, or the governor appoints a permanent replacement.

High bailiffs are unopposed in the four area counties and will move through to the general election in November, where they will be elected unless independent candidates file or write-in candidates gather more votes..

For Caledonia County High Bailiff, Bobbie J. Roy (R-Barnet) is running to replace incumbent Robert Gerrish (D-Lyndon) who did not file to run again. Roy is employed by the Caledonia County Sheriff Department.

Incumbent Kevin Lehoe (R-Cabot) is running for Lamoille County High Bailiff. Lehoe is employed as Detective Sergeant with the Lamoille County Sheriff Department.

In Orleans County, incumbent High Bailiff Richard Wells Jr. (R-Derby), is running again to fill the role. Wells indicated he was not required to provide financial information.

Incumbent Washington County High Bailiff Shawn McManis (D-Worcester) is running again to fill the role. He is employed by the Washington County Sheriff Department.