HANCOCK COUNTY — Kent Fisk spent 12 hours on his feet Tuesday greeting voters at the Hancock County Public Library in Greenfield, but the hard work paid off as he scored a win in the spring primary in the race for Hancock County Council.
Fisk was one of four Republican candidates vying for three spots on the council, which meant only three would land on the primary ballot to face a trio of Democratic opponents in the fall.
In the end, Fisk, Robin Lowder and John Jessup garnered the most votes while former Greenfield City Councilman George Plisinski landed in fourth place with nearly 18% of the vote.
Fisk scored the biggest win with with 6,023 votes (30%), followed by Lowder with 5,677 (28%) and Jessup with 5,057 (25%).
“This is my fifth election, but I will say this is the least stressful of all my elections,” said Fisk, who said it would likely also be his last.
The local businessman previously served 10 years on the Greenfield Central School Board and has served the last 11 years on the Hancock County Council.
Lowder, who served as Hancock County Auditor from 2009-18 and on county council since 2021, said she debated whether to enter this year’s race.
“I wasn’t sure whether I should run again so I just decided to let God and the voters decide,” she said.
Jessup, who has served in county office the past 14 years, said he’s happy to run again for county council after serving the past two terms as a county commissioner.
“I’ve always said when (the voters) are done sending me to do the work then I’ll go home. Apparently they’re not ready for me to go home,” he said.
Jessup said he opted to run again for county council “to keep an eye on the fiscal side of things,” including the construction of the proposed innovation center.
“I want to get that across the finish line and get it completed and to fruition, and just make sure we stay fiscally sound,” he said.
If elected in the general election this fall, Lowder said she’s also looking forward to finishing some projects she and fellow council members have in the works.
“I want to do my very best for the county,” she said Tuesday night as the election returns were wrapping up at the Hancock County Annex.
“I’ve lived here my whole life. I really love this county, and I’d just like to do some really good things for us,” she said.
