Voters favor status quo in New Prague, Elko New Market

While the United States was voting for a new President and Vice President, voters in New Prague and Elko New Market chose to stay with the status quo in city elections Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Voters in New Prague favored Donald Trump, the new President Elect, by a margin of 2,329 - 1,346 over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

City Races New Prague Mayor Chuck Nickolay won reelection unopposed and garnered 3,445 votes. City council members Jenna Tuma and Shawn Ryan, both of whom were appointed to open seats in 2015, were chosen for four-year terms, with Tuma recieving 2,598 votes and Ryan 2,456. Robert Tiwari, who also filed for the council but did little campaigning, received 658 votes.

Turnout was high in New Prague and across the state, with high interest in the presidential election. The city had a new polling place this year - the St. Wencelsaus Parish Activity Center - due to construction at the usual polling spot, the Central Education Campus gym. When the polls opened at 7 a.m. there were long lines for both the Scott and Le Sueur county sides of the city. Still, election judge Margaret Sticha commented that lines in the past have been longer - likely due to the fact that there were a number of people who cast absentee ballots prior to election day.

In Elko New Market voting was also brisk, and Mayor Bob Crawford was chosen for a second two-year term as mayor. Crawford had 1,404 votes, compared to 759 for Howard "Brian" Hong.

Three candidates vied for two fouryear council seats in Elko New Market. Joe Julius and Patricia Timmons, both incumbents, were the top vote getters. Julius had 1,203 votes and Timmons tallied 970, just 12 more than Ben Luebbert. Kate Timmerman was unopposed for a two-year council term and won with 1,759 votes.

Heidelberg had no races on the ballot. Incumbent Mayor Lori Weldon was reelected with 61 votes. Tammy Ness was the only person on the ballot for two spots on the city council, and she received 64 votes. The No. 2 vote-getter was a write-in candidate.

County commissioners Eight county commissioner seats were on the ballot in Scott, Le Sueur and Rice counties, with four of them being contested.

Two contested races in Scott County saw long-time incumbents voted out of office.

In District 1, representing western Scott County, including New Prague, Barbara Weckman Brekke received 8,144 votes and defeated Joe Wagner, who had 5,065. Brekke carried each of the 12 precincts in the district.

To see more on this story pick up the November 10, 2016 print edition of The New Prague Times.