Top Story:
Duncan wins County Clerk
race
Status quo at the county clerk’s
office apparently isn’t good enough
for Democratic voters in Macoupin
County.
Incumbent County Clerk Michele Zippay was soundly defeated by
primary challenger Pete Duncan
Tuesday. Unofficial county results,
obtained shortly before 10:30 p.m.
Feb. 2 from the county clerk’s office
had Duncan receiving 2,647 votes to
2,112 for Zippay.
“It really hasn’t hit me in terms of
the fact we won,” Duncan said by
phone election night. “I’m extremely
proud of the people who worked for
the campaign, and that we were able
to bring it home for them.”
Zippay admitted her clerk position
is “more than a full-time job” and
may have hurt her chances to connect
with more county voters. “When
you’re working full-time, you don’t
have time to go knock on every
door,” Zippay said.
As of Wednesday morning, Zippay
said she hadn’t given Duncan a call to
congratulate him on the victory, since
she left the clerk’s office after 12 a.m.
on election night. She said she’d
likely give him a call to congratulate
him Feb. 3 after attending a funeral
near her home in Mt. Olive.
“I wish Mr. Duncan the best,” Zippay said. In hindsight, Zippay said
she could have done things differently
during the campaign. She said she
wouldn’t have been as conservative
about spending money during the
campaign. “I don’t have unlimited
financial resources,” Zippay said. “I
work within my budget.”
Duncan will likely start focusing
on the November election later this
week. “We’ll take a day or two off to
rest and then talk to voters,” Duncan
said. “We’ll keep hitting it until
November.”
No Republican candidate has filed
for the Macoupin County Clerk’s
race. However, Brian Zilm of the
state’s Supervisor of Elections office
said a Republican has until April 19
to obtain the required number of
signatures and enter the race. Thirdparty
candidates would have until
mid-June to declare their candidacy.
Zippay will serve until after the
new county clerk is sworn in next
December, following the November
general election. While she didn’t
come out on top, Zippay will remain
active as she serves as a Democratic
Party Committee in Mt. Olive.
Source: Macoupin County Enquirer-Democrat,
February 4, 2010
