Sheriff headed toward third full term thanks to strong Cody showing  

Overwhelming support from the Cody area carried Park County Sheriff Scott Steward to a primary election victory on Tuesday, overcoming strong support for challenger Bruce Olson in Powell, Meeteetse and Clark.

Steward won 15 of the county’s 29 precincts in amassing 3,514 votes (or 49.7 percent) in the Republican primary to take a big step toward a third full term as sheriff. Olson, a long-time Powell area sheriff’s deputy, collected 2,638 votes (37.3 percent) in winning the other 14 precincts.

Former Powell area deputy Roger Dunn came in third with 907 votes (12.8 percent).

The Tribune was unable to reach Steward on Wednesday, but he thanked voters for allowing him to continue serving as sheriff in a posting on the department’s Facebook page.

“It is such an honor to be elected as one who is responsible for your safety and security,” Steward said in the posting. “I am humbled that you would place your faith and trust in me.”

Steward said he will seek to represent residents with “the utmost transparency and boldness.”

During the campaign, the sheriff said his opponents were creating issues that did not exist in his office.

The two challengers had voiced concerns about turnover in the department and with Steward’s leadership; Olson had suggested Steward wasn’t making a full-time effort as sheriff.

Steward said in a personal Facebook posting last week that he’d received an unbelievable amount of support due to “negative campaigning” by a certain candidate, apparently referring to Olson.

Olson said Wednesday that he appreciated all the support he received during the campaign.

“Sure, we wish we’d have won, but I don’t know what else we’d have done,” Olson said. “We worked really hard.”

He figured he knocked on 3,000 doors, meeting a lot of really nice people.

“I’m glad we did it. Don’t have any regrets,” Olson said.

Olson did say he was sorry Dunn jumped into the race.

“It’s a free country, anybody can do what they want, but I needed 800 votes; he (Dunn) got 900,” Olson said. “But, I mean ... I sure wouldn’t blame it on him.”

Dunn declined to make a comment on the election results.

In the western part of the county — including the Cody area and the North and South Forks — a whopping 75.9 percent of those voters (2,606) cast their ballots for Steward, a Cody native who now lives in Wapiti. Another 32.2 percent (1,240 voters) of the Cody area supported Olson with 4.1 percent (42 voters) backing Dunn.

It was a markedly different story in the eastern part of the county.

Between Heart Mountain, Ralston, Clark, the Willwood and the Powell area, 46 percent (1,198 voters) cast their ballots for Olson. Steward, meanwhile, narrowly outpaced Dunn (722 votes/27.7 percent to Dunn’s 683 votes/26.2 percent).

Olson won all the Powell area precincts, Clark, Ralston and Heart Mountain, the Willwood, the town of Meeteetse and the two rural Meeteetse precincts.

Steward, meanwhile, won all the precincts in and around Cody, in Crandall/Sunlight and those in the North and South Forks.

Barring an unforeseen independent or write-in challenge, Steward will be unopposed in November’s general election.