Ohmer Miller
Hope Town Council president Ohmer Miller has won his third consecutive election as the council person representing Ward 3, which is essentially the western half of Hope.
Throughout the vote counting, the 77-year-old Miller maintained a strong lead over Democratic challenger Jerry Bragg, 58, who served on the council from 2014 through 2022.
This was the first time that Miller- a Cummins Inc. retiree, former probation counselor and retired insurance agency owner – has faced competition in the general election. He ran unopposed in both 2016 and 2020.
When asked what he hopes to accomplish with a third term, Miller said council members in small towns often can’t afford to advocate a particular agenda.
“I will continue to support the community and the infrastructure,” Miller said. “I’ll do the best I can to support residents and their needs.
Tuesday was Bragg’s second defeat in as many years. In 2022, Bragg ran as the sole Democrat vying for one of the two at-large council positions. Garnering less than 30% support, Bragg lost to Republicans Herby Asher And Shanon Pittman.
Saying that he now finds himself more aligned with the GOP, Bragg says he initially filed to seek the Republican nomination in the May primary.
But election rules state a primary candidate’s last two primary votes must be for the party they are seeking to represent. That prompted Bragg to withdraw his initial application for candidacy after three days, and submit a new one as a Democrat.
Hope Clerk-Treasurer Diane Burton and two incumbent council members – Ed Johnson and John Walstad – ran unopposed Tuesday.
