garrard wins gop primary klamath 052010

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Garrard wins GOP primary

by Ty Beaver, Herald and News 5/20/10

State Rep. Bill Garrard will have a chance at another term in the Oregon Legislature after winning the Republican primary Tuesday. The veteran state representative had 65 percent of the vote as of 10 p.m. Tuesday with 90 percent of ballots counted. His challenger, Karl Scronce, garnered 35 percent.

“I felt I did very well,” said Scronce, a Klamath Basin farmer. “I jumped into the race the last day I could.”

Garrard said he felt his experience in the Legislature was part of the reason he won, but he also felt voter feelings on the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement played a part in the vote. Garrard opposes the landmark document, while Scronce supports it.

“I would assume that the people of the Klamath Basin have expressed their opinion,” Garrard said.

Scronce said he would be disappointed if people used a single issue such as the KBRA, which seeks to resolve conf licts over water in the Klamath River watershed, as the sole basis of their votes. Dam removal on the Klamath River, an aspect of the KBRA, would be an unfortunate issue to decide the election on, he said.

“I think dam removal will happen, despite what anyone in Klamath County thinks,” Scronce said.

Garrard said he didn’t know what to expect, and he was pleased with the result.

Should he win re-election in November, he said it would likely be his last term. Garrard has no official Democratic opponent in the general election, though a candidate could potentially run a write-in campaign.

Garrard said he is still figuring out details of serving in Salem while working as executive director of the Klamath Basin Senior Citizens Council.

“ The campaign has taken up more time than I thought it would,” he said.