Incumbent Randy Fox led by 29 votes in the race for commissioner for Benton Fire District 3 after vote counting Tuesday night.

He had 415 votes, or 52 percent, compared with Richard Clizbe, a firefighter for 15 years, who had 386 or 48 percent of the votes counted, according to preliminary results.

Fox was first elected to the board in 2005. The six-year position is nonpartisan.

Clizbe has said he opposes creation of a regional fire authority because he sees it as another tax.

In Benton County overall, an estimated 1,500 ballots have yet to be counted, but only a fraction of those are expected to be in District 3. A total of 87,095 ballots were mailed and an estimated 27,810 received as of Tuesday evening. Results will be updated today and certified Nov. 24.