According to results certified on Friday by the Osage County Clerk’s Office, a total of 883 ballots were cast in last Tuesday’s General Municipal Election, or 9.81% of 8,997 registered voters.

Three contested races involved multiple polling places, which are showcased in a graph that accompanies this story, and the fourth was contained to Westphalia.

In the Linn Fire Protection District election, interest was high as voters chose from among six candidates vying for three seats. Brad Gabelsberger garnered 279 votes, Dee Vaughan was second with 278, and Mike Ely retained his seat with 271. Fourth among ballots cast was Bruce Sprenger, who collected 193 votes, followed by Bill Wirtel (175), and Nathan Neuner (158). However, there were 95 write-in votes, of which, 93 were for Sprenger and one was cast for Tracie Dwayne.

LFPD Chief Ron Hoffman last Wednesday explained there was a timing issue. “We thought the deadline was midnight and it was actually five o’clock,” he said, noting that technically, Sprenger should not have been on the ballot. “We told the public that the error could only be corrected by him being a write-in (candidate).” 

Hoffman said the LFPD board will decide how many votes will be counted for Sprenger.

Vaughan said she is grateful that voters chose her to represent LFPD. “I just want to thank everyone who voted for me in the election on April 5,” she added. “I appreciate all those who exercised their right to vote and will do my best while I serve on the Linn Fire Protection District Board.”

Ely said, “I just would like to thank everyone for the reelection to the fire district board and the continued commitment to improving the safety of our residents.”

Also in last week’s election, in a closely-contested race for the Linn R-2 school board, Brett Phillips and Jamie Bish have claimed the two seats with 300 and 221 votes, respectively. 

“I want to thank all those who voted for me and to congratulate Mrs. Bish on earning the other seat,” said Phillips. “I’m excited to get to work for our kids here at Linn R-2.  We have always done a solid job of educating kids here in Linn and I’m going to bring a lot of work and energy to ensure that we continue to do so.”

Bish also expressed her appreciation to voters in the community for electing her to serve on the Linn R-2 school board. “I am beyond excited to serve our community, school faculty, and students,” she said. “I’m looking forward to building new relationships, and exploring new avenues to create better transparency. I will be a strong advocate for the needs of all students in the district.  It is a great honor and a pleasure to have been elected.”

Scotty Dudenhoeffer finished third with 170 votes, followed by Andrew “AJ” Womack (151), and Albert Rieke (100). Receiving write-in votes were Sam Niederhelm (3), Cassey Dudenhoeffer (2), and Jaimie Bowser (1).

Fatima R-3 incumbent Matt Robertson carried the majority of the vote with 262 while Coby Holzschuh and Mandy Kliethermes each garnered 187. Superintendent Chuck Woody said the tie will be broken at the board’s meeting today (Wednesday) with a coin flip.

Receiving one write-in vote each were Randy Bock, Donald Trump, Glenn Robertson, Tim Eynard, and Darnell Schroeder.

In the race for Westphalia alderman, Ben Holterman secured 51 votes and Lori Asel was second with 36, followed by Arnold “Danny” Wilde (18), Jamie Kleffner (16), Ashlee Ryan (12), and Gerhard Schmitz (9). There were no write-in votes.

“I would like to thank everyone that made it a priority to come out and vote on April 5,” said Holterman. “I truly appreciate their support and I look forward to working with the other city council members to serve Westphalia.”

Asel was also grateful. “I’m so excited to begin my term as an alderman of Westphalia,” she said. “Thank you to everyone who voted. I’m looking forward to getting to know and start working with everyone on the city council.”

No candidates filed for the Chamois R-1 school board race. Instead, a total of 59 write-in votes were cast, with Scott Northway (26), Amanda Carter (16), and Kurt Kuschel (9) earning the most, followed by Kurt Wuelling,  Heather Mitchem-Northway, Matt Paulsmeyer, Glenn Keilholz, Tye DeCramer, Denise Mudrovic, Ed Mitchem, and Kris Wuelling receiving one vote apiece.

In Gasconade County, Dawna Keilholz and Marsha Slack each received two write-in votes, and one apiece were cast for Mike Nolte, Matt Paulsmeyer, Erin Gerloff, and Amanda Carter.

UNCONTESTED  RACES

At Linn, Mayor Dwight Massey garnered 105 votes, with two write-in votes for Travis Greer, along with one each for Lauren Lansford, Mike Troesser, Nichole Engelhart, and “Anyone Else.” 

Ward One Alderman Steven Boeckmann received 41 votes and Ward Two Alderman Mike Montgomery got 75, with no write-in votes in either uncontested race.

At Argyle, Kym Brunnert earned 10 votes and Felicia Wieberg had nine, with one write-in vote each for Dave Schwartze, Jerica Otto, Cathy Rackears, Evan Schulte, Derek Schwartze, Michael Schulte, and Dustin Otto.

In the race for Freeburg trustee, Jamie Kaesik received 21 votes and Shane Zimmer garnered 19 votes. There were no write-in votes.