By Nathan Oster
Republican Jerry Ewen of Shell cruised to victory Tuesday in the general election race for a four-year term on the Big Horn County Commission, garnering nearly 75 percent of the countywide vote.
Ewen finished with 3,883 votes, more than three times the total of his Democratic challenger Mary Freund of Basin, whose 1,279 votes represented nearly 25 percent of the total vote.
Ewen won each of the county’s 13 precincts, drawing his strongest support from his home communities of Greybull (902 votes to Freund’s 191) and Shell (234 to Freund’s 41).  The precinct that ran the tightest was Frannie, where Ewen outpolled Freund by just five votes (49-44).
Given the county’s strong Republican leanings, Ewen said his margin of victory was no surprise, but that he presumed nothing in the lead-up to the election, saying “the process deserves the honor and dignity it was designed to have.
“I know I worked really hard, and I know the people of Big Horn County told me they wanted to see changes in the county commissioner’s office,” he added. “Everyone was extremely supportive in the county.
“I’m honored to receive the vote of confidence, and am thankful to everyone who supported the campaign or offered a kind word on the street, of which there were many. I truly feel like it’s an honor to be able to do this.”
Reached at her home in Basin, Freund congratulated Ewen for running “a worthy campaign” and said the Shell businessman “is a deserving person” and “will do good on the county commission.”
She stopped short, however, of saying that his election will resolve the “lack of leadership and direction on the commission” that prompted her to mount a campaign for the office. “The commission hasn’t worked well as a team … and I don’t believe that’s going to change. It will be a struggle for the county.”
Goals
Ewen also spoke to that point when asked about what he will look to accomplish early in his first point.
“There’s going to be a better balance of leadership (on the commission), with three independent leaders who hopefully can find a way to get along and reach agreements in spite of their differences of opinion.”
He said he is under no illusions about what the job entails, conceding that he “has a lot of learning to do,” but adding, as he did in the campaign, that the experience he has gained in “contract development and administration, budgeting and land planning” will be assets.
“My approach will be as a servant to the people,” he said. “This isn’t about me, it’s about the people of Big Horn County, and the needs of Big Horn County. I hope to be available and accessible to anyone with a problem or question.”