Richard Ruggles faced off against fellow Republican candidate, Tony Konkler, in this year’s Primary race for the District 5 Carroll County Supervisor seat. Ruggles said though he had served on other boards, he was a novice in running for this type of position and there was some anxiety involved in campaigning. It was an experience, however, he definitely does not regret–especially the chance to walk the district.
He said he heard about the state of secondary roads from many farmers who have moved into the district, but the majority of constituents didn’t express concerns. Ruggles said he heard the county is doing a great job of taking care of the day-to-day business. Ruggles has attended many supervisor meetings to learn about the new role and says he will continue to do so as he campaigns for the general election in November.
The night of the primary, Ruggles and his wife, Julie, spent a quiet evening at home, receiving texts from a friend who kept them updated on the voter counts. Ruggles said he got the final call from a different friend, and was relieved to have at least one foot over the hurdle. Although his canvasing of the district gave him a sense there would be lower voter turnout, he is grateful to each and every voter who did come out to the polls or voted for him by absentee ballot. He wants to thank those voters and his opponent, Konkler, for a good race.
There is a chance he could face an independent competitor in the general election, on Nov. 8, but Ruggles says he is going to continue broadening his knowledge as much as he can every day.
