By ALLYSON COOK

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) – The Johnson County Courthouse was a somber place Tuesday night as the candidates for both western and eastern commissioner sat with family members watching as election results were posted.

The final precinct results trickled in around 9:30 p.m. and Charles Kavanaugh, Republican, captured nearly 53 percent of the votes in the western commissioner race to unseat the 12-year incumbent Destry Hough, Democrat, winning 5,160-4,572.

“It is what it is,” Hough said. “The county is 62 or 68 percent Republican. The numbers tell you that, so that’s the way it goes.”

Kavanaugh, of Warrensburg, said he plans to listen to the people of the county first.

“The first thing I’m going to focus on is the people,” Kavanaugh said. “I want to hear what the county has to say.”

Kavanaugh is retired but owns Granny’s Ole-Fashion Kettle Korn. He was formerly an operation manager for an oil company, Tamimi Global Co., and at Carlyle VanLines. He’s managed the operations budgets for these multimillion-dollar companies and plans to do the same for the county.

“We’ve got to put our wants, our needs and our have to’s in order on our budget,” Kavanaugh said.

Hough said he appreciates the support he received.

“I’ve had a lot of good help but just not enough on the wrong ticket,” he said.

The county paid $624,000 for an industrial park that is currently not being used. Kavanaugh said his biggest goal for office is to take action on this. There are three major pipelines that run through the property, which is why nothing is being built at the industrial park.

“We have to either develop it or sell it, and I’m leaning towards selling it,” Kavanaugh said.