By Lucky Kidd
RENO COUNTY, Kan. — Hutchinson area voters appear to have turned out four incumbents in Tuesday’s elections.
Scott Meggers defeated Stuart Conklin 798-563 for the Northeast District seat on the Hutchinson City Council. Conklin had been appointed to the Council earlier this year to serve the remainder of the term of Jade Piros de Carvalho, who resigned in January to become Broadband Director for the Kansas Department of Commerce.
That was the only contested council race this year. Southeast District Council member Steven Garza and At-Large member Stacey Goss were unopposed.
Buhler USD 313 Board of Education member Todd Carr was defeated in his re-election bid for the at-large position, which was won by Chris Shank 1,325-552. Jessica Goering was also elected as a new board member, defeating Matt Atherton 1,204-632. for Position 2, now held by Miranda Engelken who did not seek re-election.
Dan Schweizer is trailing Stephanie Tucker for Position 2 on the Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309 Board of Education. When counting of ballots concluded last night, Tucker had 497 votes to 470 for Schweizer. This includes unofficial vote totals from Reno and Rice Counties.
Two incumbent members of the Hutchinson USD 308 Board of Education were re-elected, a former member returned to the Board and one defeated Tuesday. Tad Dower was returned to the board as the top vote getter with 1,270 votes, followed by Incumbent Lance Patterson with 1,169, Gleysha Mendez-Rosario with 1,065 and Incumbent Darcie Canfield-Riggs with 1,043.
Losing her seat was current Board of Education president Valerie Gibson-Smith who finished 7th in the 11 candidate field. Finishing ahead of her was Kevin Abbott with 840 votes and Nick Hemphill with 960. Trailing the field was Gregory Scott Johnson, Jacki Eckert, Jeffrey Roberson and Shontina Tipton.
Four new members were elected to the Fairfield USD 310 Board of Education Tuesday. Camron Nisly topped the eight candidate field that advanced from the only primary election needed in Reno County this year. He’ll be joined on the USD 310 Board by Greg Foster, Ty Hamm and Gabriel Zongker.
In the one contested race in Haven USD 312, Kelly Altvater defeated Kelli Lucas 355-69.
In other Reno County election results, Peggy Ruebke was re-elected Mayor of Nickerson, while Douglas Smith won the Arlington Mayor’s race Sherri Scheider and Nicole Sander were elected to the Haven City Council, while John Fairbanks, Dina Brislin and Kyle Cokeley were elected to the South Hutchinson City Council.
Charles Collins and Tricia Fowler were elected to the Arlington City Council, Gary Walker was elected Sylvia Mayor. Sylvia City Council members elected were Carlyn Conrad, Drew Conrad and James Davis, Lyle Foss, Christina Gardner and Butch Neal were elected to The Highlands City Council, while in Turon Ken Jorns was elected mayor and Dana Brack, Gabriel Zongker, and Christine Brown Suhler won City Council seats.
