Keller declines WU council run for mayor candidacy

Keller declines WU council run for mayor candidacy

 

By Chris Deback

cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Area residents seeking a local elected position had until Thursday, Sept. 21, to submit paperwork to the Fayette County Auditor to get their names on the ballot. 

 

On Nov. 7, local residents within the 13 incorporated cities in Fayette County will head to the polls to cast a vote in their city council and mayoral races. Of the 13 races, Elgin, Fayette, Hawkeye, Wadena, and Westgate have contested races. West Union is the only town with a public measure on its ballot. 

It should be noted that these are the only candidates whose names will appear on the ballot. That doesn’t mean they are the only people a resident can vote for, as there is always a space to write in someone's name. 

Up for election in West Union are the mayor and two city council seats. Current West Union Mayor Kent Halverson recently announced that he would not seek re-election. Current City Council member Adam Keller is the only name on the ballot in the mayoral race. Isaiah Stansbery and Neal Bentley run unopposed for their at-large and Ward 1 council seats, respectively. 

West Union residents will also have the opportunity to vote on the reauthorization of the Hotel/Motel Tax, which is set to expire on June 30, 2019. The 6-percent tax would be imposed from July 1, 2019-June 30, 2024. It should be noted that this tax is only charged to customers who use the motels in the City through their motel bill. The tax is more on people who come visit West Union than the actual residents. 

The City of Arlington has three city council seats, including one to fill a vacancy, up for election. Incumbents Lyle Dean Meisner II, Christopher Henry, and Alan Shaffer are running unopposed for those seats, while incumbent Mayor Donald Handel is seeking re-election. 

In Clermont, incumbents James Matt (mayor), Sharon Harris (city council), Bruce Lehmann (city council) and William Ashby (city council) all look to be re-elected to their current positions. 

Elgin has three community members seeking two city council seats. Incumbents Jim Knobloch and Sara Strong are being challenged by Aimee Hilgerson. Elgin residents will be charged with voting for two; the two highest vote-getters will be elected. William Pfister Jr. is running unopposed for mayor. 

The race gets interesting in Fayette as all five city council members are up this year. All five incumbents — Tiffany Kragnes, Curtis Larson, Patricia Nefzger, Amy Tucker, and Nancy Wulfekuhle — will seek re-election. The five are being challenged by Matt Cowley and Tiffany Stouffer. With Fayette residents asked to vote for five people, the five highest vote-getters will be elected. Incumbent Mayor Andrew Wenthe is running unopposed. 

Hawkeye has two contested races on its ballot. Jeremy James Eickhoff will challenge incumbent Mayor Donald Kelly for his position. Joshua Hanson, Keith Kovarik, and Brent Ungerer will challenge incumbents Terry Buenzow and John Campbell for the three city council seats. Hawkeye residents will be asked to vote for three, with the three highest vote-getters being elected. Allison Rose will not seek re-election to her position on the council. 

In Maynard, incumbents Dan Howard (mayor), Kelly Beacom (city council), Rick Howard (city council), Richard Scheffel (city council), and Jennifer Conner (city council) are running unopposed for their positions. 

Oelwein has four candidates all running unopposed for their positions. Those include incumbent Mayor Peggy Sherrets and incumbent Ward 4 City Council member Renee Cantrell. Matthew Derifield and D. Warren Fisk are running for at-large and Ward 2 council seats, respectively. 

In Randalia, incumbent Mayor Mark Amos, while  incumbent City Councilmember Shane Prochaska and Guadalupe Jensen are all running unopposed. 

In St. Lucas, incumbents James Rausch (mayor), Janet Kuennen (city council), and Wilma Meyer (city council) are all running unopposed for their respective seats. 

In Wadena, Brandi Jo Durnan is challenging incumbent city council members Ronald Aylsworth and Loree Moyle for a seat. Residents will be asked to vote for two with the two highest vote-getters being elected. Incumbent Mayor Jared Kent is running unopposed. 

In Waucoma, incumbents David Klimesh (mayor), Nick Lauer (city council), Mark Schmitt (city council) and Faye Winter (city council) all seek re-election to their current positions. However, Waucoma residents will be asked to vote for five in the city council race, so the top five vote-getters will be elected. This means at least two people elected will be as write-in candidates. 

Finally, in Westgate, incumbent Mayor Gene Rubendall is being opposed for his seat by Don Bushaw. In the city council race, incumbent Harvey Richards and newcomer Mike Rover are seeking election to the two seats up for election. No one is on the ballot to fill the city council vacancy left by Bruce Mueller, who died last year.  

 

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