The election results for the April 7 municipal election are now official and the official results differed from the unofficial tallies by only one vote.

According to information provided by the Warren County Clerk’s office, the official totals show 4,038 votes out of 28,207 registered voters. The unofficial tally showed 4,037 votes counted. This is a turnout of only 14.32%. Last year’s municipal election had a tally of 4,225 for a turnout of 15.37%.

The one vote difference did not change the outcome of any of the local ballot initiatives or races.

The Record reached out to all of the municipal winners in the contested races and several provided their responses to our requests.

Warrenton Ward III Alderman Brandon Lang, who retained his seat, had this to say.

“First, I want to thank everyone for their support during this election. I truly appreciate the trust you’ve placed in me, and I’m ready to get to work for our community.

“I’m focused on building a stronger, more balanced future for Warrenton by investing in our parks, improving our business corridors, strengthening our industrial zoning, and protecting our neighborhoods while planning for smart growth.”

Lang further stated, “That means maintaining and upgrading our existing parks while expanding access with new spaces, trails, and family-friendly amenities. It also means making sure our commercial areas are clean, attractive, and held to a higher standard so we can bring in businesses that actually benefit our community.

“We also need to strengthen our industrial zoning to ensure development is done the right way, supporting economic growth while putting the right safeguards in place to better protect the residents of this community.

“On the residential side, I want to make sure we’re planning for growth by updating our ordinances to allow a mix of housing options, preserving neighborhood character, and ensuring developments include usable green space and thoughtful design.

“At the end of the day, it’s about being responsible with our budget, listening to residents, and making decisions that improve quality of life across the entire city not just today, but long term.”

Lang defeated challenger Joe Shepard by 123 votes to 87 votes.

Truesdale Alderman Mike Thomas offered the following thoughts about retaining his spot.

“It’s always an honor to have those you represent continue to put their faith in you through their vote.  I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Truesdale as part of the aldermanic team to see to it that our community continues to grow in a positive manner.”

Thomas received the highest number of votes among three candidates for two alderman seats in Truesdale. Thomas received 88 votes, while Kelly Riehl, who won the second alderman spot received 59 votes. Kevin McCurdy received 44 votes.

Innsbrook Trustee Donna West also retained her seat. A portion of her response to our email seeking comment is as follows, “I feel honored that the Village of Innsbrook constituents have confidence in my decisions, experience and performance to be re-elected as trustee for a fourth term. I was very impressed with the 44% village election turnout. I personally feel the new Village Hall made voting much easier especially for voters with physical challenges due to improved access, increased handicap parking and additional parking spaces.

“Immediate plans for village business include the finalization of the Board of Adjustments members, the completion of ordinance codification and village map revisions that align properly with the comprehensive plan, current roads and newer annexed boundaries. Another focus is to monitor reporting of sales tax revenue and compliance and identify areas of potential missed opportunities. The village is currently under budget for this fiscal year and I would like to keep fiscal responsibility in the forefront with expenses to maintain the Village Hall facility and proper staff, including in house and outside vendors or contractors, that are pertinent to village affairs along with training programs.”

West finished first in the voting for Innsbrook Trustee with 118 votes. Virgal Woolfolk took the second trustee spot with 109 votes while Cynthia Cook and Sandra Zahradka also received votes, 106 and 94 respectively. West and Woolfolk will be the two trustees elected as part of the election.

In the Warrenton Board of Aldermen Ward I candidate Cody Turner defeated incumbent Jack Crump. Turner received 169 votes (51.52%), while Crump received 159 votes (48.48%). Turner died April 2, at the age of 36. Turner’s death creates a vacancy in Ward I, according to Warrenton City Manager Brandie Walters. As a result of the vacancy, Mayor Eric Schleuter would then be able to appoint an alderman to fill the spot, she said.

In Ward II, Josh Chandler unseated incumbent Scott Schulze. Chandler received 120 votes (36.59%) while Schulze received 113 votes (34.45%). Anna Farrar received 95 votes (28.96%).

In the race for Wright City Board of Alderman Ward 2, formerly held by Ramiz Hakim, Russ Lyons won with 151 votes (58.75%) compared to John Woehrle who received 106 votes (41.25%).

In the race for Wright City R-II School Board there were three winners – Alice Jensen, Beth Dean and Kyle Lewis. Dean received 756 votes (27.76%), Lewis received 712 votes (26.15%) and Jensen received 663 votes (24.35%). Also receiving votes was Frank Zykan who received 592 votes (21.74%).

In the two races for positions on the Warren County Ambulance District, Neal St. Onge came out ahead in Subdistrict 1, while Teresa Edwards won in Subdistrict 2. St. Onge had 250 votes (50.92%) versus the 241 votes (49.08%) received by incumbent Diane M. Grimes. Edwards, the incumbent, received 305 votes (57.44%) versus Chris Allen who received 226 votes (42.56%)