Henry County city elections end with majority running unopposed

The Henry County city elections did not disappoint with a few close races throughout the district.

Regardless of outcomes, in most Henry County cities, they now have their mayor and city council members seated for years to come.

Mt. Pleasant

In Mt. Pleasant, Mayor Steve Brimhall will continue his mayoral duties winning the election while running unopposed.

The three incumbent Mt. Pleasant city council members were reelected. Bob Griffith, Jeff Batty, and Terry McWilliams will serve another four-year term.

Salem

The Salem races were undoubtedly the most competitive.

Salem was one of the only towns that had more than one candidate running for mayor. Kelly Andermann and James Tomson ended in a rare tie with 40 votes each. The Henry County Supervisors will determine the winner with drawing from a hat. The drawing will most likely take place after the votes are canvassed.

Andermann said he’s happy that people in town would like him to be mayor, espcially considering it’s his first time running.

“It’s my first time running for mayor,” Andermann said. “I tied the former mayor of Hillsboro. I’d say that speaks pretty highly of the direction Salem is heading. I think is shows that Salem is ready for the younger generation to step up and take responsibility.”

Andermann said he would like to bring the town together and instill community involvement, including volunteer work and other community activities. He would like to also address the financial issues in Salem as well.

The city council race was a tight one as well.

In Salem, six people are ran for two open seats on the council. With the unofficial results, Haley Swinscoe and Tarrant French were elected to the council with 41 and 34 votes respectively.

Each of the candidates said they were grateful for the opportunity to help lead Salem in the future.

“I feel honored,” Swinscoe said. “I am beyond thankful that the citizens of Salem put their faith in me to be a voice for our town. Salem has been my home my whole life, I want it to flourish more than it ever has in my lifetime. Every decision I make on the council will reflect that desire. I look forward to what this council will do for Salem in these upcoming years.”

“I am honored to be selected over the other fine qualified candidates and will do my best to improve the quality of living in Salem,” French said.

Westwood

Mayor Brant Knudsen will remain as mayor for another term after running unopposed.

There are three open seats in Westwood, meaning Eric Peterson, Monte Knudsen, and Gary Lane were all elected to council.

Darrel Rodgers was voted onto the council for a two-year term to fill a vacancy.

New London

In New London, current Mayor Kirk Miller will serve another two years in the mayoral position after running unopposed.

New London incumbent council members Dan Berner, Scott Campbell, and Brad Helmerson have all been reelected.

Travis Benz was selected to the council to fill vacancy.

Wayland

Wayland's incumbent Mayor Chet Fort was the exclusive candidate running for re-election and will serve again.

In Wayland, current members Jamie Roth and Caylon Devaul will serve another four-year term.

Melinda Ullery will fill a vacancy on the council for a two-year term.

All ran unopposed.

Olds

There were two candidates for mayor in Olds. Jason Waterhouse won the election with 25 votes.

Candice Curry, an incumbent, and Timothy Breuer will serve on the council after being the only two candidates on the ballot.

Coppock

At this time the Coppock vote is not in. Frankie Nupp is the lone mayoral candidate.

Dakota Knerr, Dustin Palmer, Jennifer Stoderl, Alanna Knerr, and Shelly Gier are on the ballot for council with three open seats.

Hillsboro

William Sanderson was selected to fill a vacancy on the council.

As it stands Michaeleen Kaeser, Eric Sanderson, and Chad Brousseau will take the three open seats on the council with 26, 25, and 22 votes.

Eric Sanderson said that he is looking forward to giving back to Hillsboro during his time on the council.

“It feels fantastic to be honest,” Sanderson said. “I’m excited and enthusiastic about giving back to my community.”

Kaeser says it feels great that people trust her as one of the city council members. She hopes that she can assist in bring people to Hillsboro.

“It’s fantastic that people in town trust me to continue my duties as a city council member,” Kaeser said. “I’m happy. I want to try to get the community interested in what's going on and trying to boost community spirit. I want Hillsboro to be a place people want to reside.”

Brousseau said that he excited to continue his service to the community of Hillsboro.

“I’m very honored and appreciative,” he said. “I’m very excited that I got reelected. I’m looking forward to continue my service this next term.”

Winfield

There was no candidate for mayor in Winfield for this term.

Results from the council ballot show incumbents Randy Redlinger and Jennifer Wade returning to their seats with 129 and 93 votes. David Pieart finds himself in a seat also with 101 votes.

Wade said that she is tickled that the community has allowed her to serve on the council for another term as there are numerous project she would like to get done.

“I’m actually very honored that they support me,” Wade said. “I’m very excited. I really wanted to stay on this term because we’ve got a lot of things coming up and I wanna be there to help make sure we finish those projects.”

Comments: hunter.moeller@southeastiowaunion.com