1,158 RESIDENTS WENT TO THE POLLS IN MAQUOKETA TODAY, ABOUT 25% OF THE ELIGIBLE
VOTERS. LOWER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN!
MAQUOKETA HAS A NEW MAYOR. DON SCHWENKER, CHIROPRACTOR, DEFEATED LORI CROUCH
864 TO 264. IN JANUARY, HE WILL SUCCEED ONE-TERM MAYOR JASON HUTE WHO DID NOT
SEEK RE-ELECTION. SCHWENKER IS CURRENTLY A COUNCILMAN AND SOMEONE WILL HAVE
TO BE APPOINTED TO HIS POSITION IN JANUARY. SCHWENKER HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE
IN THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING BEING A FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE MAQUOKETA CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE. IN SEPTEMBER, HE ORGANIZED THE "MUSCLE ON MAIN STREET" VINTAGE CAR
EVENT IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. HE WAS BORN IN MAQUOKETA AND GRADUATED FROM MAQUOKETA
HIGH SCHOOL.
AND, MAQUOKETA WILL HAVE FOUR NEW COUNCILMEN AS A RESULT OF TONIGHT'S ELECTION.
THREE WINNING THE ELECTION TONIGHT AND THE TOTAL GOES TO 4 IN JANUARY WHEN A REPLACEMENT FOR SCHENKER ON THE COUNCIL IS SELECTED. THAT MEANS 4 OF THE 7
WILL BE NEW NEXT JANUARY. LONGTIME COUNCILMAN NEAL MOREHEAD LOST TONIGHT,
DEFEATED BY TROY THEDE, FORMER OWNER OF THE DECKER HOTEL AND STILL PART-OWNER
OF THE COMFORT INN. THEDE 347 VOTES AND MOREHEAD 80. COUNCILMAN ED TURNEY
WAS ALSO DEFEATED FOR RE-ELECTION TO THE COUNCIL, LOOSING TO CHAD STEFFEN, 123 TO
71. AND ANOTHER NEW COUNCILMAN WILL BE JERRY BOWEN, WHO WAS ELECTED TONIGHT
WITH NO OPPOSITION. HE GOT 82 VOTES. CORY SIMONS0N HAS BEEN ON THE COUNCIL
A SHORT TIME AFTER BEING APPOINTED EARLIER THIS YEAR TO FILL A TERM UNTIL TONIGHT'S ELECTION. HE WAS UNOPPOSED AND GOT A FULL TERM WITH 137 VOTES. ERIC PAPE WAS RE-ELECTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL UNOPPOSED AND RECEIVED 114 VOTES.
IN THE VOTE ON TURNING OVER OPERATION OF THE LIGHT PLANT TO THE CITY COUNCIL, THOSE IN FAVOR OF THAT VOTED YES, AND THE TOTAL WAS 184. BUT, 954 VOTED NO...IN FAVOR OF HAVING THE LIGHT PLANT CONTINUE TO BE RUN BY THE SPECIAL MMEU BOARD.
AMY MOORE, A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL THE PAST TWO YEARS, WAS NOT UP FOR RE-ELECTION AND
HAS TWO MORE YEARS LEFT ON HER TERM. SHE WAS THE ONLY PERSON ON THE COUNCIL WITH
NO WORRY ABOUT TONIGHT'S ELECTION. SHE COULD RELAX AND LISTEN TO THE ELECTION RESULTS ON KMAQ LIKE MANY OTHER CITIZENS. NICE JOB AGAIN TONIGHT BY KMAQ
STATION MANAGER LEIGHTON HEPKER AND KMAQ NEWS DIRECTOR SHERI MELVOLD, WHO GAVE THE
COUNTY CITY RETURNS "LIVE" FROM THE COURT HOUSE AS THEY WERE GIVEN THE TOTALS
BY THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE.
GOOD NIGHT OR GOOD WEDNESDAY!
DENNIS VOY