Pictured from left are Mayor Orville Tonsing and newly elected city council members John Schneider, Kevin Scott and Ashley Sullivan. — The Holyoke Enterprise | Johnson Publications
Tonsing is mayor; Schneider, Scott, Sullivan elected to council seats
In an extremely close race, Orville Tonsing was re-elected mayor of Holyoke in the Nov. 3 election. Incumbents John Schneider and Kevin Scott, as well as Ashley Sullivan, won four-year terms on Holyoke City Council.
A total of 2,536 votes were cast in Phillips County for 76% voter turnout. Twenty-two provisional ballots remain to be counted in the county.
Mayor
Orville Tonsing 368
Jes-c French 332
Roger Hogan 307
City Council
John Schneider 786
Kevin Scott 553
Ashley Sullivan 484
Cathy Edge 381
Jimmy French 240
Hannah Goodman 201
School bond election very close; city lodging tax extension passes; Frenchman Groundwater Management de-Brucing issue fails
In Tuesday night’s unofficial count, Holyoke School District’s $2.2 million bond election was passing narrowly by 39 votes, 785-746. The school district has a majority of its voters in east Phillips County, as well as a few in Yuma and Sedgwick counties. The Yuma County vote was not available for this story. There are a total of 43 registered Yuma County voters in Holyoke School District.
The city of Holyoke extended a 2.5% public lodging accommodations tax another five years to December of 2026 with a 789-204 vote. The initial five-year lodging tax passed in 2016.
A de-Brucing issue in the Frenchman Groundwater Management District failed in Phillips County with 1,179 voting against and 1,025 for. Logan County also voted it down.
School vote
Yes 785
No 746
(Without Yuma Co.)
City vote
Yes 789
No 204
Election detail coming next week
Highly contested races were seen in national races this year, including the presidential election and races for Colorado’s U.S. Senate seat, as well as the 4th Congressional District seat. Results will appear in next week’s edition.
Additionally, voting results for 11 statewide measures, including four amendments and seven propositions, will be reviewed in next week’s paper.
Republicans Garold Roberts and Tom Timm were unopposed in their election bids for Phillips County commissioner seats in districts 2 and 3, respectively. Additionally, uncontested races were noted for Republican Rod Pelton for State House District 65 and Republican Travis Sides for district attorney for the 13th Judicial District. Six judicial retention questions were on all Phillips County ballots.