Voters in Fayette last week sent a message of change to the City of Fayette while cementing their approval for the status quo of the school district. Four new city council members will be sworn in next week. Although not incumbents, three are returning after previously serving on the Board of Aldermen. Two incumbents were unseated during the April 8 municipal and school board elections, while one incumbent did not seek a new term, and one seat has been vacant since October.

Howard County Clerk Shelly Howell certified the results on Friday. For complete ballot totals, please turn to Page 6 of this newspaper.

Last week’s election clarified that voters want a new direction in how the city does business, though it could hardly be deemed a referendum since fewer than 10 percent of registered voters in Howard County turned out to the polls.

One member returning to the Fayette Board of Alderman is Grafton Cook. He formerly served two terms on the Southwest Ward before choosing not to run again. He was nominated by Mayor Greg Stidham to return to that seat after former Alderwoman Leeanna Shiflett resigned from the council after winning a two-way race just two months prior. But Mr. Cook’s appointment was shrewdly voted down by four of the five sitting councilwomen at the time.

Now, Mr. Cook returns to the board by the will of voters in his ward. He defeated fellow candidate Regina Powell 63-43 for the right to serve out the remainder of the term, which expires in April 2026.

Also returning to the board is former alderman and mayor J. B. Waggoner, owner/operator of Inovatia Laboratory in downtown Fayette. Mr. Waggoner served three-plus terms on the board and became Mayor for a year after then-mayor Mike Hirsch resigned upon relocating to Texas.

Mr. Waggoner was the clear favorite of voters last week, receiving nearly 70% of the vote. He brought in 76 votes, more than twice the 32 votes garnered by incumbent Marsha Broadus and challenger Tristin Head combined.

The final returning councilman is Pat Roll, former publisher of this newspaper. He unseated Northwest Ward incumbent Peggy O’Connell by just nine votes, 41-32. Mr. Roll previously served by appointment on the council from August 2020 until April 2021 after longtime alderman Larry Dimond resigned due to health issues. His campaign platform called for selling Fayette’s aging electrical grid and possibly developing or selling the city’s lakes.

New to the council will be longtime Fayette citizen David Frees. He was unopposed in his bid to replace five-term councilwoman Stephanie Ford, who did not seek re-election.

The four newly-elected aldermen will join sitting alderwomen Michelle Ishmael (Northwest Ward) and Ronda Gerlt (East Ward) after they are sworn in during the council’s next regular meeting on Tuesday, April 22.

The final contested race for voters in Fayette was a three-way contest for two seats on the Board of Education. Two-term incumbent Skip Vandelicht easily won re-election, earning nearly half of the 700 votes cast with 349. He has served as Board President the last five of his six years on the board and was re-elected for a sixth term as president Monday night.

Local chiropractor Aaron Cunningham will join the board after securing 266 votes (38%). Fellow challenger Ray Snyder won 12% of the vote, with 84 ballots cast in his favor.

School board incumbent Matt Hudson did not seek re-election. He previously served two terms before declining to run for a third. However, he was re-appointed when first-term member Kristen Gibbs resigned when she moved to a residence outside the school district.

Voters in Glasgow spent a lot of ink during last week’s municipal elections. No candidates filed for mayor or open seats in the south and north wards, forcing voters to write in names.

Former mayor Fred Foley received the lion’s share of write-ins with 36 for the city’s top elected position. Donald Clear was written in 18 times out of 22 ballots cast for the north ward. The south ward emerged much tighter, with Art Westhues and Martin Nevels each receiving three votes if all spellings are counted. It will ultimately be left up to the city and the council as to which, if any, write-in candidates are installed on the council. Potential alderpersons would also need to accept any appointments made.

Only the Central Ward had a registered candidate. That was Renna Bean, who won 13 of 21 ballots cast. She is well-known to voters in Glasgow for winning a lawsuit against the city council after she was impeached from her seat in 2023. A judge later overturned her impeachment. She ran unsuccessfully last year.

The Glasgow Board of Education did not hold a formal election since two candidates filed for two open seats. Board president Bob Draffen and newcomer Jeremiah Johnson will be sworn in at the board’s next meeting.

Voting was light in Armstrong and Franklin as no more than seven votes were cast for any of the uncontested city council races. Rebecca Kurtz (East), Monica Nivert (West), and Lindsey Wadlington (West, 1 year) will be sworn in on the Armstrong Board of Aldermen.

It is unclear just how Franklin was cleared to hold elections since the city did not meet filing deadlines. Regardless, William Grindstaff and Charles Wayne Purvis were unopposed in their bids for seats in Ward 1 and Ward 2, respectively.

The City of New Franklin is required by ordinance to hold elections even when races are uncontested, which was the cast this year. Ricky Newell, James Painter, and Charli Leach, all incumbents, will maintain their seats on Wards 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

The New Franklin school board did not hold an election because there were two candidates for two open seats. Kevin Beaman and Kara Schnell will begin fresh terms.

Voters gave overwhelming support to road questions in Glasgow and Armstrong and voted for uncontested candidates for Road Commission and Road Board Director.

The final race for some voters in Howard County was for residents living within the Higbee school district. Voters here voted for incumbent William J (BJ) Westfall and newcomer Jonetta S. Weaver, with 16 and 14 votes, respectively, out of a field of four candidates. Both received the most votes by far among Randolph County voters and will be sworn in at the board’s reorganization meeting.