Fayette has a new mayor and two new school board members as a result of the June 2 election. 

Originally scheduled for April 7, the elections were postponed statewide due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Howard County drew just 16.71 percent of registered voters to the polls, primarily bolstered by a 30 percent turnout in Glasgow.

In Fayette, Kevin Oeth won a two-way race against East Ward Alderwoman Stephanie Ford with more than 65 percent (218 to 113) of the vote. For the school board election, incumbent Shauna Young was re-elected for a second term along with newcomers Sarah Wies and Aaron Bentley. Two-term incumbent Larry Anderson was denied re-election.

The race for Fayette’s newest Mayor was somewhat anticlimactic. Incumbent Greg Stidham moved away and therefore did not seek re-election. Neither candidate was able to mount much of a campaign against the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic. However, both will work together on the Fayette City Council, as Ford will maintain her seat as East Ward Alderwoman. The two candidates exchanged a hug along with kind words following the election. “Fayette is very fortunate to have two candidates who were willing to be mayor,” Oeth said. “It will be good for Fayette in the long run.”

Both mayoral campaigns were conducted cordially with regard to either opponent without any of the negativity that has become pervasive in American politics. “I really appreciate that it didn’t become that way. I think we had fun. I think everybody worked well together when we went to the few speaking we were able to before COVID-19 happened. It was a fun race,” Ford said.

“I think it’s great that he got it, and I’m looking forward to working with him. I think Kevin will do well.”

Ford said she had mixed emotions about running for Mayor from the beginning. She wasn’t keen on losing her vote in the council if elected Mayor. “Being Mayor, I was going to lose my vote. In a way, I’m glad I still have my vote. I really enjoy what I’m doing as a councilperson.”

Oeth said his first order of business is to become better acquainted with interim city manager Jeff Hancock, and start going over the city’s finances. Although elections were delayed nearly two months, Oeth said he is thankful to be elected before alderpersons approved the city’s budget for the new fiscal year. “My fear was they were going to pass the budget before I became Mayor, and then I had to deal with someone else’s budget.”

Oeth will hit the ground running as Fayette’s new Mayor. The city, in partnership with Fayette Main Street, is endeavoring to put in place a Community Improvement District (CID) downtown. A petition with signatures of interested property owners inside of the proposed district was filed this week with the city clerk, and a public hearing is scheduled for June 15. “I’m excited about that. I think it will be good for the city,” Oeth said.

Oeth, a retired employee of the City of Columbia, said that as Mayor he intends to establish regular office hours at City Hall to field questions and concerns of Fayette citizens. Those hours will be announced in the future. “I’ve made one campaign promise the whole way through, and that’s that I will listen.”

Another change in the makeup of the city council has emerged. Jeremy Dawson was the recipient of four of seven write-in votes on the vacant ballot for East Ward Alderman. Although undeclared as a write-in candidate, he reached out to voters in the east ward for write-in support.

“I was a little surprised. I talked to a handful of people and wasn’t overly expecting anyone to make the effort and vote,” Dawson said.

Dawson was notified by Fayette’s interim city administrator, Jeff Hancock, on Wednesday, and signified his willingness to accept the seat on the council. Anthony Shiflett has represented the east ward on the council, but initially announced he would not seek re-election due to time constraints. He later told the city council that he would continue as an alderman, but did not file any form of candidacy with the county clerk.

Dawson’s effort to seek a position on the city council came in just the final two weeks leading up to the election. But he said the interest had been brewing for quite some time. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and I want to see it get back to some of the values that Fayette people tend to hold a little bit closer.”

Dawson said working to better the city’s financial position has been long overdue without anybody coming up with a solution. He called the recent fines totaling more than $150,000 levied on the city a kind of “last straw.” 

”We’ve had plenty of people run for many different offices, and they always say we never have enough money. For this to go unnoticed or unrecognized, it’s something I’m hoping to be able to help and change.”

Howard County Clerk Shelly Howell will certify the election results on June 10. Oeth and Dawson will be sworn into office at the next regular meeting of the city council at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16. City council meetings are open to the public. Due to restrictions for mass gatherings and social distancing, the public is asked to view meetings via the virtual meeting app, Zoom.

School Board

The June 2 elections also brought about change to the Fayette R-III Board of Education. Voters approved only one of two incumbent candidates, while issuing in two newcomers. Four candidates were in the running for only three seats. Incumbent Shauna Young received nearly a third of all votes with 422 (29.14%) of 1,448 votes cast. Aaron Bentley and Sarah Wies brought in 372 votes (25.69%) and 354 votes (24.45%), respectively. Two-term incumbent Larry Anderson tallied 300 votes (20.72%).

“I appreciate the opportunity to serve on the board of education. I look forward to learning more about state regulations and serving with the current board members to provide guidance for the Fayette School District,” Bentley said.

Wies and Young thanked voters for the supports. “It is an honor to serve and I look forward to the next three years,” Young said.

Incumbent and board president Gary Gose declined to seek re-election.

It is widely surmised that the vote stands as a direct rebuke of the school board’s recent controversial decision to transition the school district to a four-day school week beginning in August. Anderson was a top proponent of the move, having been a strong voice in support and twice voting in favor of the measure. Young, who is completing her first term on the board, voted against the transition twice. (The board defeated the motion for a four-day school week 3-2 on January 16, 2019. On November 20, 2019, the board voted 4-2 to make the change). Both Wies and Bentley indicated they would support the board’s decision.

Young, Wies, and Bentley will be sworn in as board members at the BOE’s re-organization meeting Monday, June 15.