After more than two years of debating and three referendums to determine Iola’s next governing body, Iola voters Tuesday chose their new eight-member city council and mayor.
Voters selected Bill Shirley, in the midst of his third term as a city commissioner, to become the city’s next mayor. He bested challengers Linda Sigg and John Smith in the three-way vote.
“We have some things to do now, and we’ll need to get going,” Shirley told the Register after the results were announced. “The new governing body will work well for the city. We have some good councilmen who will make it work.”
Shirley lauded Sigg and Smith for their candidacies.
“Everybody ran a positive campaign and we stuck to the issues,” Shirley said. “I’m sure I’ll ask their advice from time to time.”
Tapped as Iola’s charter city council members were Scott Stewart and Kendall Callahan from Iola’s Ward 1; Joel Wicoff and Beverly Franklin from Ward 2; Jim Kilby and Donald Becker from Ward 3; and Ken Rowe and Steve French of Ward 4.
“I’m excited, but we have a lot of work to do,” said Wicoff, whose 251 votes were the most of any single council candidate.
According to results posted from the county clerk’s office, Shirley took home 577 mayoral votes, followed by Smith at 335 and Sigg at 312.
The top two vote-getters in each of Iola’s four voting wards earned seats.
In Ward 1, Stewart was the top vote-getter with 140 votes, followed by Callahan at 127, only eight more than Nancy Ford’s 119. Steffen Centlivre was fourth at 47 votes.
In Ward 2, Wicoff earned 251 votes, followed by Franklin at 160 and Dana Moodie at 128. Melinda Luttrell earned 86.
Kilby’s 206 votes were the most in Ward 3. Becker earned 144. Eugene Myrick was the third entrant, earning 81 votes.
With six candidates in Ward 4, votes were widespread. Rowe’s 133 votes were the best among the six hopefuls, but accounted for only 24 percent of the total votes cst. He was followed by French’s 120 votes. Jim West was third at 101 votes, followed by Jerod Kelley at 90, Richard Gilliland at 58 and Gary Wells at 50.
Stewart praised Iola’s voters.
“Overall, they made some very wise choices,” Stewart said. “They elected a very diverse group of individuals with a lot of experience in virtually every aspect of life in Iola. I think the voters will be pleased with the result.”
County Clerk Sherrie Riebel noted that the election results are not considered official until the votes are canvassed Friday by Allen County commissioners. There, commissioners will look over provisional ballots — those cast by voters whose names were not on registration rolls — to determine whether they should be counted.
THE VOTE caps a two-year endeavor by local voters to change Iola’s governing body from its exisiting three-member city commission.
Iolans overwhelmingly voted in April 2009 to disband the existing commission. A second vote favored a five-member commission over a seven- or nine-member governing body. But after commissioners adopted a charter ordinance last year that would have established a five-member commission, a successful petition drive prompted a third vote in which voters rejected the five-member governing body last November. By default, the city thus went to an eight-member city council and mayor.
MARK BURRIS will fill his wife’s at-large seat on the USD 257 Board of Education. Burris got 783 votes, or 56 percent, compared to Virginia Warren’s 617 (44 percent). Burris’ wife, Deanne, declined to run for re-election.
A scant four votes also decided the Humboldt-USD 258 race.
In it, five of six candidates were elected to the school board.
Joe Works (358 votes), Curt Mueller (343), Helen Harrington (281), Sandy Whitaker (270) and Larry Mendoza (247) won seats on the board. Mendoza’s tally was just four more than Dusty Bartlett’s 243.
The top four vote-getters will serve four-year terms. Mendoza’s term — filling the unexpired term of ???? — will run two years before he is up for re-election.
TWO RACES were decided in the Marmaton Valley-USD 256 school board race.
Krist Smith received 124 votes, compared to Mark Spillman’s 61. As an aside, 53 write-in votes were cast.
In the other race, Amanda Allen received 27 votes to retain her seat, 10 more than James Smart’s 17.
