Government : Help Wanted: Vinton Council ballot has no candidates for 3rd Ward

While there are three guys running for Mayor, two guys running for the at-large seat on the Vinton City Council, and a guy and a gal running for the First Ward seat, nobody has entered the race for 3rd Ward City Council. The 3rd Ward includes the southwest quadrant of Vinton. Everything west of C Avenue and south of West 9th St. is in the 3rd Ward. But 16 city blocks east of C Avenue between 15th and 9th streets are also included, along with a few blocks north of West 9th. See the city ward map HERE. Third Ward council member Bud Maynard is running for mayor, along with Dean Haack and Rich Hainstock. In Ward 1, Dixie Meyer is challenging incumbent Ron Hessenius. And at-large incumbent Brian Parr is being challenged by Gary Garwood. But nobody filed papers for the Ward 3 seat, which means that the seat will most likely be filled by write-in votes, with 3rd Ward voters having the right to write in the name of any eligible voter in that ward. Write-ins are always allowed in any election, of course, but with no candidates on the ballot, write-ins have much more power. A few years ago, Chris Bendull won a council seat with four write-in votes. In Mount Auburn, Jeffrey Whitson was elected in 2015 as Mount Auburn Mayor. He noticed that nobody had entered the race, so he began telling a few friends he would be willing to serve. While it takes some time to become an official candidate on a ballot, obtaining signatures and filing an election nominating petition, anyone who simply gets more write-in votes than anyone else who is eligible can choose to accept the office. If the winner declines, the person with the next-highest vote total will be offered the position. Any position unfilled can be filled by that city's mayor. Mount Auburn also has one city council position that is likely to be determined by write-in votes. Only four candidates have filed papers for the five available seats. Luzerne, Norway and Blairstown, too. There are contested council races in Atkins, Belle Plaine, Van Horne and Newhall. In Urbana, Shellsburg and Walford, there are contested mayoral races, as well as city council races. See the complete list of city candidates within Benton County, from the Benton County Auditor's Office, below: Atkins: Vote for 1 Mayor- Bruce E. Visser Vote for 3 Council- *Diane M. Herman, Richard Lange, Kim Carbaugh McElree, Heather Rinderknecht, Robert Spading, Joey Svejda Belle Plaine: Vote for 1 At Large- Richard Daily, Mitch Malcolm Vote for 1 District 1- *Mark D. Tegeler Vote for 1 District 3- Adam Papesh, *Judy Schlesselman Vote for 1 Park Board- Lena White Vote for 1 Park Board-Vacancy- Shawn Welsh Blairstown: Vote for 1 Mayor- *Rodney C. Kubichek Vote for 3 Council- *Bo Benesh, *Brad Davidson Garrison: Vote for 1 Mayor- *Allan R. Lindsey Vote for 3 Council- Danielle Auen, *Jeff Bahr, Nick Decker, Tammy L. Schroeder, Lindsay Shaver Keystone: Vote for 1 Mayor-*Michael Seeck Vote for 3 Council- *Mark W. Andresen, Cindy Behrens, *Kathy Janss, *Tim Kruse Luzerne: Vote for 1 Mayor- *John W. Brandt Vote for 5 Council- *Dwight Glinsmann, *Kelly W. Kendall, *Lorin Potter Mt Auburn: Vote for 1 Mayor- *Jeff Whitson Vote for 5 Council- *Michelle Docherty, Jessica Helms, *Michelle Oldfather, *Dean Vrba Newhall: Vote for 1 Mayor- *Jan Mattson Vote for 5 Council- *Doug Boddicker, *Ruby Carolan, Michael Gardemann, *Bill Much, *Gerald Gessner, *Douglas Rinderknecht Norway: Vote for 1 Mayor- Darrell Miller, *Martin Schulte Vote for 3 Council- Curtis L. Mell, *Bruce E. Volz Shellsburg: Vote for 1 Mayor- David Galli, Lonnie M. Speckner Vote for 3 Council- Lindsey Chapman, *Sharon Harvey, Alisha Knight, Edward Shaeffer, Laverne D. Travis, Shadoe Vogt Urbana: Vote for 1 Mayor- *E. Duane Eldred, Mitch McDonough Vote for 2 Council- Joshua E. Holthaus, Jeffrey D. Kopecky, *Michael Kramer, *Jacqueline Michael Van Horne: Vote for 1 Mayor- *Martin J. Junge Vote for 3 Council- Amy L. Knaack, Marlyn Lyons, *Rebecca Norton, *Jim Parmenter Vote for 1 Council-Vacancy- *Craig C. Ivester Vinton: Vote for 1 Mayor - Dean Lyle Haack, Rich Hainstock, Bud Maynard Vote for 1 Council-at large- Gary M Garwood, *Brian Parr Vote for 1 District 1- *Ron Hessenius, Dixie Meyer Vote for 1 District 3- Vacant Public Measure B: Shall the City of Vinton, Iowa impose a hotel/motel tax as provided by Chapter 423A of the Code of Iowa, at the rate of seven percent (7%) effective July 1, 2018, upon the gross receipts from the renting of any and all rooms in any hotel, motel, inn or public lodging house and direct that seventy-five percent (75%) of the revenue from this tax be paid to and administered by the City of Vinton for recreation, convention, cultural, or entertainment facilities in Vinton. The remaining twenty-five percent (25%) of the revenue shall go into the general fund for the City of Vinton. Walford: Vote for 1 Mayor- *Randy D. Bauer, William H. Voss Vote for 2 Council- Stacey Law, John Pegump, *Brian Plogman, John Saikaly, Aaron Voss *=incumbent