Kluesner, who lives in Marthasville, beat Democratic challenger Floyd Vincent of Warrenton by about a 2-to-1 margin. Final, unofficial election results showed Kluesner with 5,182 votes (66.4 percent) while Vincent had 2,613 votes, or 33.5 percent. "I'm elated," said Kluesner. "And probably like every other resident in Warren County, I'm just relieved this (election) is finally over with. "It's been a long process," he added of his path to the commissioner's seat, which began last January when he filed for office. Kluesner has never held public office previously. Kluesner will succeed Randy Lewis of Wright City, who lost to Kluesner in the August primary. Lewis was appointed by Gov. Matt Blunt in January of 2007 to fill the remaining two years of the term of former Southern District Commissioner Arden Engelage when the latter was elected as presiding commissioner. Although he will not take office until Jan. 2, 2009, Kluesner said he will begin the transition into his new role almost immediately. He will start by attending next Monday's meeting between county commissioners, Warren County emergency personnel and the board of the Warren County 911 Communication Center at the University of Missouri Extension office to discuss adopting the county's GIS system to help with dispatching emergency vehicles such as police, fire and ambulance to service calls . "This will be a learning role for me," said Kluesner, a lifelong resident of Warren County. "It's like most new jobs when you are a newcomer and it takes a while to analyze and understand everything. "But I'm fortunate to have lived here a long time," Kluesner added, "so I have a bit of an advantage because I know what the issues are. I know what kind of challenges we're facing in Warren County." One of the first items expected to be discussed by the incoming panel of commissioners, which includes new Northern District Commissioner Dan Hampson of Warrenton, is the location of the county's new administration building. The present commissioners voted 2-1 earlier this year to construct the nearly 40,000-square-foot building on a 0.9-acre lot in downtown Warrenton behind the current Warren County Courthouse. The commissioners also elected, by a 2-1 vote, not to undertake a $5,000 site survey to compare the downtown site with two other possible locations. In both cases, incumbents Lewis and Jim Logan voted together against Engelage. "I think we'll have a united commission now," Kluesner said. Kluesner said the new commissioners would likely reopen the issue of the administration building's site. "I know I'm in favor of conducting the site survey before we proceed," Kluesner observed, "and I believe Dan (Hampson) will support one as well. "It's now time for the commissioners to move forward," said Kluesner, "and do what's best for all the citizens of Warren County. There have been times in the past when that might not have always been the case, when things might not have been accomplished." Kluesner, who has spent his career operating a farm, approached his new role with a rural analogy. "The commissioners are going to be like three mules in a unicorn hitch," he explained. "You have a lead mule in front and the other two harnessed behind him. The better they work together, the more they can get done."