Tim Leeds Havre Daily News tleeds@havredailynews.com
With the unofficial election results from a mail-in election tallied, Andrew Brekke and Calvin Long have won the only elections in Hill, Blaine and Liberty counties where a candidate faced an opponent, and will take seats on the Havre City Council. Long, a Democrat, had 406 votes in the election for Ward 2, while Republican Zella Witter had 245 with 65 percent of the active voters returning ballots. In Ward 4, Republican Brekke had 320 votes while Democrat Tara Brandon had 222 with 57 percent of the active voters returning ballots. In races where the candidates ran unopposed, Democrats Pam Hillery received 371 votes in Ward 1 and Robert “Bob” Kaul received 395 in Ward 3. Ward 1 had a 48 percent return and Ward 3 had a 46 percent return. In Hingham, Larry Horinek and Wayland Walls were both running unopposed for at-large city aldermen. Horinek received 48 votes and Walls received 55 with 63 percent of the ballots returned. In Chinook and Harlem, which also had mail-in ballots, all candidates were running unopposed in nonpartisan elections. Incumbent William J. “Bill” Taylor received 102 votes in Harlem’s Ward 1, and Sondra Jean Ashton, also an incumbent, received 65 votes in Ward 2. Harlem had about a 55 percent rate of return. In Chinook, incumbent Freida Bryson received 143 votes in Ward 2, and Heath Richman received 164 votes in Ward 1, with about 48 percent of registered voters returning their ballots. In Chester, all candidates were also running unopposed in nonpartisan elections. Incumbent Mayor Wayne Wardell was re-elected with 199 votes, Rachel C. Ghekiere in Ward 3 and Rodney R. Keith in Ward 2, both incumbents, received 62 votes and 88 votes, respectively. Darin Scott Ross received 58 votes in Chester’s Ward 1, with the city having a 46.6 percent return.
