CLEVELAND – Travis C. Turner won the White County Republican primary Tuesday night for county commission chairman.

Turner won 1,758 votes, or 55 percent. He defeated Teresa E. Stansel, who garnered 858 votes, or 27 percent, and Rick Post, who won 585 votes, or 18 percent.

By capturing more than 50 percent of the vote, Turner avoided an Aug. 5 runoff.

“This is a sigh of relief. I’m very glad that the citizens of White County chose to settle this tonight, and I mean that with all my heart,” said Turner amid handshakes and congratulations from those gathered at the White County Courthouse to hear election results.

“We’ve got a lot of changes in our county coming and I hope to use some God-given common sense and let’s start planning for tomorrow but yet not jeopardize our future for our children,” said Turner, 36, senior vice president for commercial lending at Regions Bank in Cleveland.

Turner will face Joe Hatcher, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the Nov. 4 general election.

The overall winner will replace current commission chairman Chris Nonnemaker, who decided not to seek re-election after two terms.

Post, 57, who sells sports logo products and also has a real estate business, said he plans to throw his support behind Turner after what he termed was a “good, clean race.”

Stansel, 55, a former owner of a natural foods store, said she plans to remain a White County “activist.”

“I will continue to fight for good, limited, representative government,” she said. “I will continue to fight for transparency, accountability and local control.”

In the only other locally contested race, incumbent Ricky Barrett easily won re-election as coroner.

The Republican garnered 2,141 votes, or 67 percent, and Brian K. Alexander won 1,036 votes, or 33 percent. Barrett faces no Democratic opposition in November.