Millie Youngquist wins race for mayor

WASHINGTON — Mayor Pro Tem Millie Youngquist can officially shorten her title, coming out of a special election Tuesday with 432 ballots in her favor. At 44.17%, she won the plurality of votes cast to choose Washington’s next mayor in a four-way race.

Reached for comments after unofficial election results were announced, Youngquist said she was, "Pleasantly surprised.“

"I’m pleased and flattered that the citizens of Washington have put their vote of confidence in me,“ she said. ”I’ve done a lot of hard working meeting people and knocking on doors and shaking hands, and talking to people, and hopefully that helped get some of the vote out.“

The longtime council member and Washington’s acting mayor for the last 14 months campaigned on a simple message: she’s practical. She’s patient. And she already knows how to do the job.

Those talking points proved more persuasive than those from skeptics, some of whom argue she’s not as assertive a leader as recently resigned Mayor Jaron Rosien, or blaming her for recent sewer and water rate hikes.

Runners-up in the race were council members and Ivan Rangel (240 votes,) and Elaine Moore (171 votes,) as well as challenger candidate Rob Meyer (130 votes.)

Special elections — which happen outside of regularly scheduled primaries and general elections that otherwise fill the ballot with high-profile state or federal offices — are not known for generating much voter interest. With that in mind, Tuesday’s turnout was moderate, at a respectable sum of 978 voters.

The number dwarfs the last citywide special election in 2017, which saw just 507 voters turn out for a public measure on hotel/motel taxes.

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But it falls short of other off-season citywide elections in recent memory, like a contentious bond referendum in 2016, which brought 1,712 voters to the polls before it ultimately failed. And Washington’s last contested mayoral election, a two-way race between Jaron Rosien and Pete Schaefer in 2017, brought 1,308 ballots, considerably more than Tuesday night’s totals.

Even for a special election, the latest race happened on unusually short notice, and for the first time used a polling place at Dallmeyer Hall on the Washington County fairgrounds, rather than a retirement home closer to most residents’ doorsteps. Both factors may have suppressed turnout for demographics that rely on the convenience of a longer mail-in absentee window, or access to a ballot box within walking distance.

After winning what was effectively a re-election bid, Youngquist is poised to remain in the mayor’s chair once unofficial results are finalized by Washington County Supervisors next week. That gives her a green light to direct council members toward her priorities, a list that includes infrastructure maintenance, communication with the public and enforcement of the city’s nuisance and property maintenance codes.

The mayor-elect previously said she thought of the race as a referendum on her own leadership over the last several months. Tuesday’s vote appeared to confirm Youngquist still has the public’s blessing to stay at the helm, at least from the plurality of Washington’s voters.

“For me, knowing that I’ve been duly elected by the citizens of Washington would be like a vote of confidence,“ Youngquist said in an earlier interview with SEIU. ”I could move forward with my ideas. I always want to remain open for citizens, for them to come to me.“

On Tuesday night, the Mayor-Elect said she was excited to continue her role, and thanked opposing candidates for running.

“I look forward to working with Ivan and Elaine on city council, they have not lost their position on council and their voice, and they are passionate about Washington,” she said. “And I also thank Rob for putting himself out there as a candidate, and wish him the best.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com