NEOSHO COUNTY, Kan. — Unofficial election results are in for Neosho County, where voter turnout was just over 19%. Chanute voters rejected a sales tax increase to fund economic development, and several county races were decided by write-in candidates.
The one-eighth-cent sales tax proposal for Chanute residents failed, with 699 voting no and 463 voting yes. The Chanute Regional Development Authority (CRDA) would have been the beneficiary of the tax. CRDA board president Shelli Sheerer provided the following statement on behalf of the board: “The CRDA Board is disappointed that the sales tax did not pass, as the continuation of economic development efforts in Chanute was dependent upon that funding. Over the years, the CRDA has played a vital role in supporting local businesses, attracting new investment, and strengthening the overall economic health of our community.
Without this funding, the future of organized economic development in Chanute is uncertain. The CRDA Board will be meeting soon to discuss the organization’s future and the future of economic development in our community.”
A new face will be joining the Chanute City Commission, as newcomer Tim Harding received the most votes in the race with 755. The incoming commissioner with the most votes traditionally serves as mayor for the next commission. Current Mayor Jacob LaRue finished second with 691 votes, and incumbent Kevin Berthot was third with 646. Current Commissioner Tim Egner will leave the commission at the end of the year.
“I am really looking forward to working with all of the other commissioners,” Harding said.
USD 413 will also welcome a new board member while retaining two incumbents. Steven Cunningham will join the board, and current members Heather Guernsey and Jennifer May retained their seats. Tiffany Cooney lost her bid for a position. USD 413 board members are elected at large, meaning they represent the entire district rather than specific geographic areas.
Following that pattern, two incumbents retained their seats and one new member was elected to the Neosho County Community College Board of Trustees. Current trustee Martha McCoy finished just 69 votes behind her colleague Bryan Shulz, who clinched the final of three available seats.
Current trustee Michael De La Torre also retained his seat, and Kathryn Taylor will join the board in January.
The other countywide race was for the Kansas State Southwind Extension District Board, with two positions available. Kathy Brazle and Mark Stich were elected over Shawna Wright.
In Erie, five candidates ran for three open city council seats. Jerry L. Moses, Kyle Buntin, and Stephen Maher won, narrowly defeating Edward Hibbs III by just three votes. Edward Mason also lost his bid for reelection.
In St. Paul, all five candidates who filed were elected without contest. The new council will include Mike Grosdidier, Dan Spielbusch, Kenny John Paisley, Carly O’Brien, and Jason Venneman. Keith Van Leeuwen won the mayoral race unopposed.
The Thayer City Council race was the opposite, with 28 write-in candidates vying for three positions. Tina Goins and Royce Stiles tied for the most votes with 31 each, and Richard Rutledge filled the final seat with 28 votes out of 146 cast.
In Galesburg, write-in campaigns also proved successful. Jared Han received the most votes of all candidates. Alex Tromsness, Brian Semrad, Joshua White, and Shannon Caswell will join him on the five-member council, and write-in candidate John Terry was elected mayor.
In Earlton, a three-way tie between Sammy Stout, Jenifer Green, and Claude Smith secured them seats on the council.
In Stark, Jeffrey Kovacic won the mayoral race. Charles Hill was elected to the city council, along with write-in candidates Stephen Johnson and Nick Shue.
In other school board races, Erie-Galesburg USD 101 elected write-in candidate Isiah Kephart for District 1, Carla Rush for District 2, and Morgan Buntin for District 3.
Cherryvale-Thayer USD 447 elected Robert John and writein candidates Jamie Wheeler and Zach Tuggle to the board.
USD 248 Girard elected Aaron Paoni, Kelly Peak, and Jennifer Stewart to its school board.
No votes were cast in the three Southeast School District races in Neosho County.
