The drama of the November 3, 2026, election has now been fully cast.
The filing deadline of 4 p.m., Tuesday, June 2, has come and gone for the Midway and Versailles mayoral and city council, Woodford County school board and the Woodford County Conservation District races. Unlike the county offices, which are partisan and went through a primary process, all of these races are nonpartisan.
Versailles
The mayor’s race will see incumbent Laura Dake challenged by Cory Cooley, Jason DeVore, Nick Green and Fred Siegelman.
The council race attracted 11 candidates vying for six seats, which will be decided by the top six vote-getters: incumbents Chantel Brown-Bingham, Mary Bradley, Lisa Johnson, Gary Jones and Ann Miller seek reelection, with Joe Belford, Brad Fister, Rachele Royale Holmes, Emily Porter, Fred Powers Jr. and Aaron Smither running.
Midway
Current Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift earns a new term with no one filing against him.
There are eight candidates to fill six slots in the city council race, and like Versailles, the top six vote-getters win: incumbents Kaye Nita Gallagher, Logan Nance, Mary Charles Raglin, Steve Simoff and Ian VanSteenbergh seek reelection, with Ray Adee, Harvey Couch and Zachary “Zach” Rankin running.
Woodford County Conservation District Board of Supervisors
There are four Conservation District supervisor positions on this year’s ballot with five candidates. The incumbents are: Brad Carmickle, Curtis Congleton Jr. and Robert Richardson II, with challengers Jesse I Dahl and James Mansfield also on the ballot.
Woodford County Board of Education
There are two school board member districts up for election. District 2 is the only contested race, with incumbent and board Chair Adam Brickler being challenged by Crystal Collins. District 5 has only one candidate, Lyen Crews II, who will assume office on Jan. 1.
Reminder for All Candidates
The Woodford Sun offers every candidate the opportunity to submit one free 250-word “announcement” to the paper that explains their reasons for running, what they hope to accomplish and any biographical information. The announcement can be accompanied by a “head shot” photograph in JPEG format, which needs to be submitted with the announcement.
The story cannot refer to any endorsement from a person or an entity, and cannot mention the name of any other candidate.
Any questions or clarifications should be directed to Scott White at 859-873-3211. Submit the announcement and photograph to news@woodfordsun.com.
NO FREE ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE PUBLISHED BY THE SUN AFTER SEPT. 1, WITH NO EXCEPTIONS.
If you are interested in advertising your candidacy with the Sun, contact Lucie Chandler at 859-873-3211 or email her at adsales@woodfordsun.com for pricing and print specifications. The Sun also offers free graphic design if you want any help in designing your ad.
In addition to our regular circulation, the Sun will publish a “county-wide” edition the week before the election on Oct. 29, where the Sun will be delivered to every home and business address in Woodford County, regardless of whether they subscribe or not. This is a circulation run of nearly 25,000. Please note that the deadline for booking advertising for the countywide edition is Oct. 21 at 4 p.m.
For all other regular editions, the advertising deadline is 2 p.m. on Monday for that week’s edition.