News
   Valley Center
   Park City
   Kechi
   Bel Aire
   School
   Sheriff
   Police & Fire
   Deaths
   Looking Back
   Heard on Main Street
Municipal Court
Sports
   School Sports
   Rec League
People
   General
   Birthdays
   Engagements & Weddings
Opinions
   Editorials
   Letters
   Commentary
Columns
Church
Advertising
   Classified
   Legal
Newcomers win local races
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: November 09, 2017

Newcomers won the day in area local elections Nov. 7.

The election will usher in a new Valley Center school board member, a couple of new Valley Center City Council members, two new members of the Park City council and a clean sweep in Bel Aire, where four newcomers won the four open city council seats.

“I had a lot of positive feedback from people who said that's exactly what they were looking for," Jason Reffner, who won a seat on the Valley Center school board, said when asked whether being a newcomer helped him win the election.

According to preliminary results, Reffner was one of the three top vote-getters in a four-person race for three at-large seats on the school board. He will take office in January.

Bart Balthazor and Brad Barbour won re-election, while incumbent Richard Harris failed to gather enough votes to keep his seat.

Reffner, who grew up in Valley Center, said he was honored to serve the school district.

“It feels great," he said. “… I kind of realized I have a lot to learn, but I'm up to the challenge."

In the Valley Center City Council races, only one of the disputed wards — three and four — ended election night with certainty. The winner of Ward 3, which had no candidates, should be announced when the votes are canvassed Nov. 13. Two people — Matt Stamm and Kelsey Parker — ran write-in campaigns for the seat. Those write-in votes (67 of them) must be hand-tallied, the Sedgwick County Election Office told The News.

Meanwhile, Paul Davis III won the Ward 4 race, which covers the southwest part of the city. He beat Forrest Patterson 60 to 37.

“It's going to be a new adventure," Davis said.

Davis ran on the promise that he will make public all of his contact numbers and email addresses and will relay all concerns immediately to the city council.

“Politicians don't listen to us, I feel like," he said. “I'm not saying I've had any problem with city government, but just in general. I think first and foremost, if they listen, they will get a lot more accomplished."

Davis will replace long-time council member Al Hobson, who did not seek re-election.

Wards 1 and 2 were uncontested, with incumbent Brendan McGettigan winning Ward 2 and newcomer Ray Strunk taking Ward 1, replacing Lou Cicirello.

In Park City, incumbent George Glover held a slight lead (79 to 71) over Brandi Baily in Ward 2, while Benjamin Sauceda more comfortably led Steve Brown 79 to 65. Incumbents John Lehnherr (Ward 1), Melvin Kerr (Ward 4) and Mayor Raymond Mann won their seats in uncontested races.

The biggest change will be seen in Bel Aire, where all three incumbents seeking to retain their at-large seats were defeated.

On the winning side, Justin Smith led the way with 754 votes. Jeff Elshoff had 747, Jim Benage 709 and Jeff Hawes 616. All four will receive four-year terms.

Incumbents Diane Wynn (368), Ramona Becker (344) and Guy MacDonald (190) lost.

David Austin retained his seat as mayor, defeating Patty Beamer 763 to 227.

There were no contested races in Kechi, where John Speer was elected the city's new mayor, and Margaret McCormick and Betty Washington retained their council seats.





Trending Stories
Valley Center Contact The Ark Valley News

Valley Center Another phase of housing gets started

Legals SEDGWICK COUNTY PUBLIC NOTICE

School Dance theme: ‘Blast into the Past’

Valley Center ‘Blast into the Past’

Other Sections
News

Sports

People

Columns

Opinion

Contact Ark Valley News | Archives