Le Mars elections: reactions from winners, run-offs in two races
Voters in Le Mars made their voices heard on Tuesday, with four city positions and ballot issues at stake.
In Le Mars, two races will advance to a run-off election on December 2nd. Incumbent Rob Bixenman received more votes for mayor than challenger Brian Hughes, but did not reach 50% of the vote, necessitating a run-off. Derek Conyers similarly received the most votes in a three-way race between him, Beth Meyer, and Lenny Flack, but also did not reach a majority. Conyers and Meyer will run against eachother in four weeks.
In Ward 1, incumbent Brian Bruns won nearly 70% of the vote against Jaqueline Perez. On Election night, he told KLEM he was thankful to continue representing Ward 1’s residents.
In Ward 3, incumbent Mark Sturgeon won a close race against challenger Dan Dembinski, winning by a margin of just 7 votes. Sturgeon told KLEM on Election night that he was pleasantly surprised with both his win and the turnout.
Sturgeon says he would’ve liked to see the firehouse bond issue go differently, as that failed to pass with only 30% of voters voting Yes. The measure to increase the hotel/motel tax, however, was approved with 66% voting Yes.
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Local elections across northwest Iowa see major results
Several other contested local elections also took place on Tuesday across Plymouth County and northwest Iowa.
In Akron, Gerry Stowers and Eric Solberg won at-large seats on the Akron city council, while in Hinton, Jeffrey Felts and Justin Mohning similarly won seats on Hinton’s city council. Corey Sitzmann, Justin Baker, and Jason Jasperson are the three winners for seats on Kingsley’s city council, while in Westfield, Michael Bohlke and Willard McFarland tied in their mayoral election.
Outside of Plymouth County, voters in the Sergeant Bluff-Luton School District rejected a school bond issue for the seventh consecutive time, with the issue 8 votes shy of passing. Woodbury County auditor Michelle Skaff says that the issue is currently too close to call. Lawton-Bronson’s $13.5 million school bond issue was rejected by voters, while Bronson’s public measure also was defeated.
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Open house meeting today for Business Highway 75 reconstruction
The City of Le Mars will host an open house tonight concerning the reconstruction efforts on Business Highway 75.
City officials encourage members of the public to stop at the Willow Creek Golf Course starting at 5 p.m. where officials and the outside consultant team will be available for questions about the reconstruction project. City residents can also go online to take a five minute survey about the project, asking what specific improvements and features the public would like to see. The study will examine traffic operations, roadway safety, walking and biking facilities, lane configuration, and long-term infrastructure needs on Business Highway 75.
For questions and concerns, contact City Administrator Jason Vacura. The meeting tonight runs from 5-7 p.m. at the Willow Creek Golf Course.
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Iowa DOT looking for snowplow drivers
It won’t be long before snow starts showing up in our weather forecasts, and the Iowa DOT is in need of several hundred snowplow drivers for the upcoming winter season.
Craig Bargfrede, the DOT’s winter operations administrator, says the agency needs to hire a lot of bodies to run those snowplows.
One qualification is having a commercial driver’s license, and Bargfrede says it’s a demanding job to maneuver those snowplows when an Iowa blizzard is blowing.
Bargfrede says while it can be highly challenging, it also has its rewards.
New hires will start at $22 an hour, while returning workers will make $23.50. Anyone interested should contact the Iowa Department of Transportation.
(Story via Radio Iowa)
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