Update: Bell gets Republican nomination for commonwealth’s attorney

Shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday evening, April 25, Warren County Republican Committee Chairman Steve Kurtz announced that John Bell had garnered the Party’s nomination for Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney.

Local defense attorney Bell, who has previously worked in the county commonwealth’s attorney’s office, defeated current Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Layton in the only competitive Republican nominating race.

Pressed for numbers Committee Chairman Kurtz said that Bell had won by 50 votes of about 550 votes cast. The nominating primary was held at the Villa Avenue Community Center with voting open from shortly after 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday night.

Incumbent Brian Madden is leaving his office in several months to assume a judicial appointment.

Bell recently made news by calling for Madden to convene a special grand jury in the wake of the March 26 filing of a civil suit against nine defendants on behalf of the local Economic Development Authority seeking recovery of a minimum of $17.6 million in allegedly misdirected or embezzled EDA assets during the executive directorship of Jennifer McDonald.

Madden shortly did request empaneling of a special grand jury in the case though he downplayed any role Bell’s press release on the subject may have had.

“I am very grateful to all of the people in Warren County who came out and supported me. I am encouraged that there are that many people who are interested in change,” Bell said, adding a nod to his opponent. “I want to thank Bryan Layton for running a clean, above-board race. And I’d just like to tell the people of Warren County this is the beginning of a campaign to bring real change to the county.”

And with the specter of EDA scandal permeating recent public criticism of both the county and town governments for a lack of meaningful oversight of the appointed EDA board and staff, as well as that criticism seeping into campaigns for other offices, particularly the sheriff’s race, we asked Bell what he thinks this result might portend in the coming election cycle.

John Bell working the Republican primary poll Thursday afternoon.

“I wish I could tell you I won because I’m such a brilliant candidate, but what it really is, is the people of Warren County saying that enough is enough; that we need new people; we need new commitments to open this to justice,” Bell concluded.

Royal Examiner asked Layton if he thought his position in the commonwealth’s attorney’s office at this particular moment damaged his chances.

“Obviously there is a need for change, a desire for that but I think to some extent there was a little bit of distortion about what change was going to happen or be there because the fact that Brian Madden and me were in office together doesn’t speak adequately to my leadership abilities … And if you look to that everyone is different.

“I gave a video statement late this morning that stressed that – and maybe it should have been stressed earlier because while Mr. Madden has done a number of things extremely well, I’m not Mr. Madden and Mr. Bell is not Mr. Madden. You get change no matter who wins … but with this issue emotions run high and there is a desire for something immediate to happen,” Layton observed of the public mood.

After falling 50 votes short for his Party’s nomination Bryan Layton may have been wondering if younger citizens shouldn’t be allowed to vote – at least in Party primaries.

Asked if he might consider a run as an independent, Layton deferred. “It’s way too early to even consider that. I take my word very seriously as far as the obligation we are asked to sign (of supporting the Party nominee as committee members).

Layton suggested it was also too early to ponder continuing in the commonwealth’s attorney’s office as an assistant to the man who just defeated him for the Party nomination, though he did not rule out the possibility were he asked to stay on.