City voters to head for polls to select council members

By Roger Sims

rsims@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – With the polls open for the general election next Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., voters from all of the incorporated cities in Linn County will have candidates seeking office.

The races for the Pleasanton City Council seats seem to have drawn the most interest of any race in the county for filings, while three seats open for the La Cygne City Council will be decided by write-in votes.

Pleasanton

The Pleasanton City Council has three open seats. Incumbent Rochelle Schreckhise has filed for a second term, Council member Aaron Portmann is not seeking re-election, and former council member Kimberly Herring resigned her seat last summer and it has not been filled pending the election.

The mayor also has decided to hold off appointing a replacement for the late council member Angie Randall, who died unexpectedly in September, until after the election.

New candidates for the open seats are Sandy Haynes, Ron Miller, Alex Wills, Kenny Stark, Riley Hinds, and David Schuermann. Dean Johnson’s name will appear on the ballot, however, he announced over the summer that he was no longer seeking a council post.

Voters can use this link to go to the YouTube streaming of candidate’s forum on Oct. 6. All of the candidates except Johnson and HInds talked at the public meeting.

Linn Valley

The city of Linn Valley has the next most contested races. The mayor’s post and two city council seats are up for election.

In the mayoral race, incumbent Lewis Donelson is seeking re-election and will face challengers Daniel Donham and Lister Potter Jr. Although originally elected to the city council, Donelson moved into the mayor’s post when the former mayor resigned two years ago.

For the city council, incumbent Michael Hemphill will seek to retain his seat, however the other incumbent, Robert Suppenbach, did not file for reelection. Two new challengers for the seats are Phillip Schellenberg and Curtis Coffman.

Mound City

In the race for three city council seats in Mound City, three familiar names are on the list of candidates. Incumbents Fanchion Shadden and Cody Beckman have filed to retain their seats.

Former council member Shayna Lamb is back, seeking to be elected to the council after resigning her seat just a few months ago. Incumbent Megan Purvis did not file for re-election.

La Cygne

Three city council seats in La Cygne will be up for grabs in a write-in contest in November because no one filed to run. Keith Stoker, Thomas Capp and David Brenneman currently hold those seats, however, none of them sought re-election.

If the none of the write-in candidates receive the handful of votes required to win election, or if those who received enough write-in votes decline to take office, the five-member council has a backup plan to restore the council to a quorum of three.

The council unanimously voted on Aug. 6 to appoint Oscar Marino to a council post effective Jan. 12, 2026, to avoid the lack of a quorum. Marino, who is the father of one of the city’s police officers, spoke to the council, presenting his background in municipal government and saying he was interested in the council post.

Once a quorum has been re-established, the council can approve Mayor Debra Wilson's appointments for the remaining two council seats.

Parker

Two incumbents have filed to retain their posts on the Parker City Council, which has three open seats. Longtime council member Gary Earley is seeking re-election as is council member Kari Brandt. Brandt was appointed to her seat to fill a vacancy.

Former city clerk Carrie Sewell has filed to run, and the fourth candidate is Stacia Minden. Incumbent Kandice Higgins did not file for re-election.

Prescott

On Aug. 11, longtime Prescott Mayor Kevin Wood  stepped down after 16 years of service. Councilman Ron Roberts was appointed as interim mayor, and Sherri Olson was selected on an interim basis to finish Roberts’ term. The mayor’s seat and two city council posts are up for election this year, and only Roberts filed for re-election. The other incumbent, John Maloney, did not file.

November’s ballot will have Keith Bloomfield running for mayor and Roberts and Brian Bloomfield running for the two council posts.

Blue Mound

On the ballot for Blue Mound’s three open city council posts are Marri Krupco, Shawn Hermann and Paul Moeller.