Waterloo-Cedar Falls Elections: Hart, Boesen in Waterloo Mayor Run-Off Dec 2

Voters in Waterloo and Cedar Falls will go back to the polls next month with a trio of run-off elections. In Waterloo Tuesday night , incumbent Mayor Quentin Hart received 49.7% of the vote, while challenger Ward 2 councilman Dave Boesen received 40%.  Challenger Matthew Gardner received 8.6%, and Gary Hall had less than 1 percent, as he dropped out of the race early. Hart will square off against Boesen in a runoff on December 2nd.

Boesen says he’s looking forward to the runoff.

In Waterloo Ward 1, it’ll be a run-off between incumbent John Chiles and challenger Steve Schmitt. Schmitt received 37%, Chiles 34%, and Margaret Klein 29%.  And in Cedar Falls, it’ll be a run-off in Ward 3, between incumbent Daryl Kruse, and challenger Tom Nagle. Nagle received 38% of the vote, Kruse 31%, and Bob Manning had 30%. Candidates had to get 50% plus one vote for a victory.  Cedar Falls Mayor Danny Laudick, Ward 1 councilman Gil Schultz and at-large councilperson Kelly Dunn all ran unopposed for new terms.

In other council races, Deborah Berry will return to the Waterloo council as she won the Ward 2 seat handily over challenger Daryl Hartema.  Berry says she’s excited to get back onto the council.

Kelly Martin will be the new Waterloo at-large council member as he won in a close race over challenger Micki McCracken. Hector Salamanca-Arroyo will be the new Ward 5 councilman as he ran for the seat unopposed.  In Cedar Falls, the new Ward 5 councilman will be Craig Fairbanks as he ran for the seat unopposed.

In School board elections, two new Cedar Falls board members won election.  Incumbent Lowell Stutzman won another term, and candidates Kim Cross and Grace Rogers won their first terms.  And Susie Hines returns to the board to fill a board vacancy.   In Waterloo, Janelle Ewing, Astor Williams, and Krystal Madlock all ran unopposed for new terms. 

Overall, voter turnout in Black Hawk County came to just over 24 percent, out of nearly 81,000 voters.  County Auditor Karen Showalter says she thought that’s where the level would be.