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2 county incumbents defeated

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Frazier, Wills to meet in district clerk runoff

Burnet County Republican voters turned out two veteran county officials Tuesday, sending two-term District Clerk Dana DeBerry and Treasurer Betty Trapp to crushing defeats.

DeBerry finished third in a three-way race and received just 17 percent of the vote (982), in unofficial returns.

Sheila Frazier and Casie Wills, both heavily backed by numerous attorneys throughout the county, finished ahead of DeBerry.

Frazier got 46 percent of the vote (2,571) and Wills, one of DeBerry's deputies, received 37 percent (2,071).

Frazier and Wills will meet in a run-off election April 13 and the winner will face Democrat Cynthia Chi-solm in the general election Nov. 2.

Political newcomer Karrie Crownover, an employee in the County Clerk's office, defeated Trapp (2,414), who was seeking a second term, with 54 percent of the vote (2,873).

In the only other contested local race in the Republican primary, Lisa Whitehead, an 11-year veteran of the county attorney's office edged veteran law enforcement officer Tommy Headrick in the Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace race to succeed the retiring James McElroy.

Whitehead got 52 percent (645) to Headrick's 48 percent (587).

Turnout was reported heavy, especially at Burnet High School and Highland Haven, where voting had not finished at 7:30 p.m., 30 minutes after the polls closed.

DeBerry, who is known for running a strictly by-the-books operation, reportedly angered some of the attorneys in the county with her unwillingness to allow them the access to the clerk's office they desired.

The attorneys brought her down, DeBerry said

Tuersday evening after the results were in. "I believe they did," she said. "They solicited to have Democrats vote in the primary.

"I'm disappointed, but the people of Burnet County spoke their mind and I'm okay with that."

Frazier credited hard work for her success.

"We've been working for 14 months on this and I've been campaigning for over a year now," she said.

Frazier said she welcomed the attorneys' support.

"I'm appreciative of that," she said. "I've worked in the county clerk office and the judge's office and I get along with them (the lawyers)."

DeBerry acknowledged that some attorneys were unhappy with her.

"I do not let them come in and run my office for me," she said. "I have never been unkind or disrespectful to them, but I enforce the rules and statutes that apply to my office."

Several of the attorneys reportedly were instrumental in recruiting' Frazier, who works in the office of 424th state District Judge Gil Jones, and backed her financially.

Wills also had considerable backing from attorneys.

As she awaited the vote results at the county Republican headquarters on the square in downtown Burnet, Wills acknowledged the difficulty of running against her boss.

"Obviously it's a little intense with all the employees in the office, but I just go in and do my job," she said.

Headrick resigned his position as an investigator with the Burnet County Sheriff's Office during the campaign to concentrate fully on the race against Whitehead.

Not surprisingly, Whitehead stressed her knowledge of the court system in seeking the justice of the peace position and Headrick touted his law enforcement.



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© 2010 Burnet Bulletin Burnet, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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