Schroeder wins Washington council seat, over half of votes

WASHINGTON — Ken Schroeder has won a special election for Washington City Council by a healthy margin, picking up 132 votes out of a total of 242 ballots cast in the race for an at-large seat on the municipal body. The remaining votes were split between Jennifer Durst (81) and Rob Meyer (27).

The results shared by the Washington County Auditor’s Office Wednesday night are “unofficial,” and await a final count by the Washington County Board of Supervisors, expected on Tuesday, Aug. 13, but the days between unofficial result announcements and county result canvassing have not changed an election’s outcome in Washington County in recent memory.

Schroeder said he hoped to hit the ground running as he prepares to swear in for the at-large position.

“I’m happy that they got out and voted for me,” he said. “It shows that although I’m new in the community, people have gotten to know me, and they trust that I will do a good job.”

On the campaign trail, Schroeder flaunted a history of service on other decision-making boards, such as the Graphic Arts Technology Center of Iowa board and the Grandview Condo Association in Coralville.

Having moved to Washington in 2018, the council member-elect also said he brought an outsider’s neutral perspective to the role, unswayed by local pecking orders.

At a candidate forum the day before the special election, Schroeder said his decision-making style was “proactive,” focused on preventing problems rather than reacting to them as they came up.

“We have to first go out and communicate, fully, with everyone involved,” he said. “Gather all the facts, make sure that everyone who’s going to be making that decision, we’re all on board with how that decision’s going to come down and what effect it would have on the community.”

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The candidate said his top priorities included reviewing speed limits in town, and focusing on sidewalk, road and sewer infrastructure. But he was hesitant to criticize or praise the current council’s policies, saying he firmly believed that, “you can’t sit back and complain, you have to take part.”

The message seemed to resonate with constituents, based on his persuasion of over half the voters in Tuesday’s three-way race.

Still, turnout was relatively low. Washington’s last special election — for the mayoral position in April — saw a whopping 978 people go to the polls. Tuesday’s race also encompassed every ward in the city, but saw just 248 ballots cast, representing under 5% of registered voters. Some city residents said they were unaware the race was even happening, while others reported voter fatigue in a year filled with elections at the federal, state and local levels in January, April, June, and the much-anticipated general election coming in November.

Schroeder said he was disappointed by the low number of ballots cast.

“Of course I was happy that I won … but there was just so few voters,” he said. “I wish people would become more involved in the community.”

Brighton repeats last special election, with narrow vote

In Brighton, another city council special election ended in a nail-biter win for former Mayor Robert Farley, winning 71 ballots to former City Council Member Cathy Rich, who totaled 68 votes.

The candidate told The Union in July that he’d bring a coolheaded perspective to the council, and work to improve the city overall.

“I don’t have any axes to grind with anybody,” he said. “I’m looking to do whatever I can to help my community. I live here, and I want it to be the best for my family and my children to come, and that’s the reason I’m running.”

Unlike Washington, the small town’s turnout was rather high for the off-cycle special election, Brighton’s second of this year, with 38% of the city’s 362 registered voters coming to the polls. That’s slightly greater than the almost 35% turnout logged in March, as voters have grown increasingly involved with their local government following a handful of dramatic disputes over funding and general transparency.

Like March’s special election in Brighton, Tuesday was a remarkably close race, decided by a hair-thin, single-digit margin. Also like March, it was a loss for former Council Member Cathy Rich, who roughly half the city credits with major municipal financial improvements, while others blame her for a string of tense funding disputes with the fire department. Fire department leaders endorsed Farley on social media, ahead of the special election.

Farley now gears up to join a frequently tense council, where decision-makers have argued back and forth over decisions about RAGBRAI, financial decisions, staff vacation requests, and the decision to hold a special election in the first place, over the last few months.

Wednesday morning, he said he aimed to help heal “broken relationships” among city officials, but acknowledged his work was cut out for him.

“We want everybody to work together, and that’s how we’re effective,” he said. “My role is going to be communicating with people, and getting others to communicate with each other. Get past the disagreements, to where we can agree to disagree, and still get along … a lot of this is a people problem, and we need to work together.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com