By TIM UNRUH

Salina Journal

Friends told Jim Nitcher on Friday that they were writing his name on Tuesday's ballot for the Ward 3 seat on the Belleville City Council.

To his surprise Tuesday night, Nitcher learned he'd won, defeating incumbent Blaine Miller by 10 votes, 33-23.

"I sure wasn't promoting it. I told them if I got elected, I would accept it, but I wouldn't go out and work for it. It's kind of a thankless job," Nitcher said.

Folks in Beloit will have to settle for an old library building for a while longer. Voters in Tuesday's election rejected a bid to raise the sales tax by four-tenths of a percent for 10 years to pay for a new library. The measure failed by 202 votes.

There were no losers in the race for Miltonvale City Council, at least not yet. Incumbents Dwaine Randel and Ed Mottin were re-elected with 47 and 43 votes, respectively. Josephine Huyghebaert and Gregory Copple tied for the third spot with 41 votes each. The tie will be broken Monday morning when the Cloud County commissioners canvass the votes.

Close races abounded for three seats on the Lucas City Council. Dennis Shorter defeated incumbent Craig Langdon 96-94 for Position 4. Alvin D. Barta won Position 3 over incumbent Connie Dougherty by 102-87. For Position 5, incumbent Trent Leach won re-election by 10 votes, 101-91, over Sue Ellen Wenthe.

For the Marion City Council, two open positions were won by incumbent Bill R. Holdeman with 226 votes and challenger Steven L. Smith, 201. Eliminated were Gerald W. Henderson, 193, and Katherine DeFilippis, 161.

Gerald "Jerry" Kline's write-in campaign for re-election to the Marion City Council fell short. When election workers collected only 158 write-in votes Tuesday (who the write-in votes were for were unknown Tuesday) and two provisional ballots, Kline stood no chance of re-election.

Stockton voters approved -- 222-100 -- a special question seeking to continue a 1 percent sales tax until 2029 for pay for improvements to the city's water system.

By a 73-45 count, voters in the Palco School District approved a 1-mill increase in their taxes to establish a recreation system.

In the race for Wilson City Council, incumbent Jeanne Heki's 58 votes weren't enough for re-election. Elected to the council were challenger Leland Francis 132, followed by incumbents Cindy Heinze, 125, and Charline Stoppel with 118 votes.

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by e-mail at tunruh@salina.com.