BARTON COUNTY — Two Barton County cities will see new faces on their city councils in January following Tuesdays general election.
Hoisington’s city council is governed by two representatives from four city wards. One member in each ward was listed on the ballot for reelection. There were no candidates for Ward 3, and only Robert Bruce, Ward 4, faced opposition from Gary Shook.
Travis Sinn, Ward 1, received 181 votes; Carrol Nather, Ward 2, received 213 votes; 34 write-in votes were received for the Ward 3 seat. Robert Bruce, Ward 4, received 65 votes, losing the race to Gary Shook who received 116 votes.
The Tribune contacted Bruce Tuesday night.
“I’m glad I had the opportunity to serve my community,” Bruce said. “I will catch up with Gary and congratulate him tomorrow. I’ve learned a lot, and I’m not done by any means. I will still go to meetings, pay attention and continue to help out my community wherever I can. I will even consider running again in the future.”
Gary Shook also spoke with the Tribune.
“I would really like to thank all the people who came out and voted for me,” Shook said. “It’s been awhile since I last served, and I look forward to getting back to work for the community.”
In Ellinwood, all council members serve at large. Three candidates ran for three seats. They were incumbents Kirk Clawson (520) and Kenneth Lebbin (431), along with newcomer Jacque Isern (583). The Tribune was unable to reach Isern Tuesday night for her reaction.
The Ellinwood Hospital District was also listed on the ballot with one candidate, David Gonzales (867).