9:31 p.m. (updated)
The votes for Iola’s mayor have been tallied. Iola Mayor Jon Wells has won in a landslide, receiving 578 votes. City Council Ron Ballard received 163, while Iolan Larry Walden received 125.
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In advance voting, Iola Mayor Jon Wells held the early lead in a three-way race.
Wells has received 154 advance votes, nearly three times as many as his two competitors combined.
City Councilman Ron Ballard had 36 advance votes in his mayoral bid.
Iolan Larry Walden had 28.
Iola City Council
Kim Peterson will keep her Ward 3 City Council seat. She outdistanced challenger Kyle King, 141 to 56.
Former City Councilman Steve French received 144 votes to win the Ward 4 Council seat. Ben Alexander, who dropped out of the race too late to have his name removed from the ballot, received 48 votes.
Allen Community College
The closest race of the night saw Vicki Curry (1,226 votes), Lonnie Larson (1,201) and Gena Clounch (1,133) earn seats on the ACC Board of Trustees. Mary Kay Heard, the only incumbent, came up just short with 1,104.
LaHarpe City Council
Austin Lee and Danny Ware Jr. earned council seats, receiving 40 and 36 votes respectively. Rosetta Greathouse came up just short, earning 21 votes.
There may be some intrigue in the mayor’s race. Mayor Ella Mae Crowell received 28 votes, while 24 write-in ballots were cast. Whose names are on those ballots won’t be announced until the election is canvassed and made official on Nov. 18.
Humboldt sales tax vote
Humboldt voters overwhelmingly passed a half-cent sales tax referendum, with 85 percent of the voters favoring the tax, which will be used for street repairs. The final tally was 306 votes in favor, and 52 against.
