Elections without contests

When I stepped into the voting booth yesterday I was shocked to see the number of candidates who were running unopposed in Orange County.
Of course, they were all on the Republican/Conservative ticket.
I was especially surprised to see that Barry Cheney was running unopposed as his campaign signs have been planted along the roadways, like poppies in Afghanistan, throughout the county.
Why spend the money if your opponent is non-existent?
Does the Orange County Republican Party have so much money to waste?
If it does, then let it put that money toward reimbursing the taxpayers for the lost revenue from its offering LegoLand tax-free status as an incentive for coming into our county.
Mark Tatro
Warwick