Here is a recap of election results from across the Whitewater Valley.
RICHMOND MAYORAL: Richmond’s next mayor is Dave Snow. "It's utter excitement. I knew this was gonna be really, really close," Snow said. How close? Snow defeated Kyle Ingram by just under 700 votes, or a 56-44 percent margin. Snow talked about what he thought made the difference. "I think it was connecting to the younger voters. I saw a lot of younger voters at the polls. That had me really excited, so I hope we can keep working at that," Snow added. Ingram had no regrets. "We did everything we could as a campaign. I don't think there's anything we'd want to do differently." Ingram said. He urged the city to move forward. "I think it's important for this city to rally around and support Dave with what he wants to do moving forward," Ingram added. Snow will actually take office on January 1.
RICHMOND COUNCIL: Richmond Common Council will have three new members after Tuesday’s election. Democrat Jeff Locke ousted incumbent Don Winget by 37 votes in District 5. Republican Gary Turner defeated Danny Matheny for the seat long held by Larry Parker. And, Jamie Lopeman won an at-large seat. He said he’ll start Wednesday. "We start talking to other council members and understand the budget better to make sure that our tax dollars are accounted for, taken care of, and spent well," Lopeman said. Ron Oler kept his at-large seat, as did Misty Hollis. "I'm excited about serving the citizens another four years. I'm hoping that my voice the last four years has made a difference and I look forward to the future," Hollis said. In other races, Doug Goss defeated Suzanne Derengowski 55-45% in District 1. Kelly Cruse Nicholson beat Jason Wise by a 2-1 margin, and Bruce Wissel defeated Denise Bullock 62-38%.
WAYNE COUNTY: In Wayne County, Gary Holbert will return to Centerville Town Council after defeating Kate Johnson-Keep by 42 votes. In Cambridge City, Republican Jeff Mardis won a seat on Town Council by 20 votes. In Dublin, six people ran for five seats on town council. John Myers was the odd man out. Milton also elected five council members. Seven people ran. Dwight Smith and Donna Smith Powell were the two who came up short.
LIBERTY: Liberty will have three new town council members. Republicans Matt Barnhizer and Keith Bias, along with Democrat Roger Bowling, will join incumbents Jerry Paul and Rachel Marcum. Incumbents Pete Petro and Ross Keasling were ousted – Petro by just seven votes. Only 21% of Liberty’s registered voters cast ballots.
PREBLE COUNTY: In Preble County, Lisa Moss won the race for Camden’s mayor by just seven votes. Carol Lunsford won in the race for Mayor of West Alexandria. Joseph Renner won a spot on Eaton City Council by just 30 votes. County-wide tax levies for the library and for the Department of Job and Family Services easily passed. 49% of Preble County voters cast ballots.
CONNERSVILLE: Connersville will have a new mayor. Democrat Harold Gordon defeated Republican Brian Doub by a razor-thin margin of just ten votes. Doub indicated that he would not press for a recount, but would ultimately leave that decision up to the Republican Party. Independent Holly Dunn fell about 275 votes short.
RANDOLPH COUNTY: Two Randolph County communities elected mayors. In Winchester, Democrat Shon Byrum defeated Joseph Younts by 82 votes. And, in Union City, Republican Incumbent Bryan Conklin beat Vincent Hernandez by a 57-43% margin.