Fall Home Improvement inside, p.

22-25

Thursday,
September 17, 2015
Wilton, Iowa
Vol. 121, No. 38
28 pages $1.00

Write-in process plays role in area elections

n Philip Nietfeldt wins Durant write-in vote n Wilton write-in bid for Butch Hartman fails
By Derek Sawvell

Managing Editor, Advocate News

Area school board elections proved to be

very interesting Sept. 8, as write-in campaigns
affected races in both Durant and Wilton.
Nietfeldt wins Durant write-in vote
With only two of three incumbents running
for re-election in Durant, there was an open
seat on the Durant school board. No candidate
turned in nomination papers, allowing an
opening for a write-in vote winner to claim
the seat of Ron Alpen, who decided not to run
for re-election.
A total of 305 voters came to the polls in
Durant Sept. 8. Incumbents Russ Paustian
(225 votes) and Barb Reasner (219) retained
their seats on the board.
In the write-in race, Philip Nietfeldt received 172 votes to claim the final open seat
on the Durant board.
Carlos Perezmeza finished runner-up with
90 votes and Monica Rouse, the former DHS
principal who was fired and later reached a
settlement with the district after years of fight-

ing to reclaim her position, received 80 votes.

Nietfeldt, 44, and his family are fairly new
to the district. His wife Holly works as Durant
High Schools secretary. The couple have
two children; daughter Maddison, a senior at
DHS, and son Jacob, a freshman at DHS and
each have spent five years going to school at
Durant.
Nietfeldt said he had been approached
by community members
about running during the
last election cycle and was
approached again this year
when there were only two
names on a ballot with
three open seats. While
he didnt put his name on
the ballot, he did research
what the position entailed
while also wondering how Phil Nietfeldt
the time commitment would balance with his
professional life as a technology designer for
an engineering firm.
It took me awhile to get comfortable then
I gave folks the green light, said Nietfeldt
with regard to those approaching him about

being a potential write-in.

When he saw the results, he said he was
pleasantly surprised.
I didnt promote myself whatsoever. Im
humbled and grateful so many people would
give me their trust, said Nietfeldt.
He had no idea who else was being considered in the community as write-in candidates,
saying he only knew the two names on the
ballot (incumbents Paustian and Reasner).
Im looking forward to it, he said of the
next four years on the board. Im relatively
new to the community with no biases. I can
go in with a fresh perspective and a fresh set
of eyes.
Rouse said she had been contemplating
running for school board for years, wondering
when would be the right time. Yet every time
she thought about it, she kept coming back to
the same conclusion. I wasnt going to run
solo Regardless of how much I know about
the Durant system, she said.
Therefore, she, along with Perezmeza and a
third potential write-in candidate, Tracy Krebs,
decided to push for not only the write-in seat,
but also the two other open seats occupied by
Reasner and Paustian.
Rouse said she had met Perezmeza a few
years ago and approached him about the possibility of being a write-in candidate. Hes
a bright and diligent person. Hes a thinker,
said Rouse.
They then reached out to Krebs. Shes an

School Board election results

Durant (3 open seats)

Incumbents:
Russ Paustian
Barb Reasner

225
219

Write-In:
Philip Nietfeldt
Carlos Perezmeza
Monica Rouse
Other Write-ins

172
90
80
92

Wilton (3 open seats)

Incumbents:
Gary Maurer
Tony Hurd
Linda Duncan

66
61
50

Write-In:
Perry (Butch) Hartman III
Other Write-ins

45
4

Incumbents:
Danielle Pratt
Ross Kleppe

21
20

Bennett (2 open seats)

independent thinker. She has an opinion and

isnt afraid to share it, said Rouse, who said
the trio had like-minded goals.
They used Labor Day weekend to reach out
SCHOOL BOARD RACES

continued on page 8

Durant Homecoming CourtThe 2015 Homecoming Court at Durant High School

was selected and includes (front) Courtney Wiese, Kate Alexander, Janey Botkins,
Maddison Nietfeldt and Ashley Koberg; (back) Gavin Blake, Tanner Kleppe, Brandon
Dykes, Drew Larion and William Bentley. The King and Queen will be announced
from this group of candidates on Friday, Sept. 18, at 5:45 p.m. prior to the football
game at 7 p.m. between the Wildcats and the Wilton Beavers. The homecoming
parade begins at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. The Homecoming Dance will be held Saturday,
Sept. 19, from 8 to 11 p.m. in the school cafeteria.
Contributed photo

INSIDE...
Remembering 9/11The Wilton football program hosted a "Salute to Freedom"
Sept. 11 prior to its home game against Bellevue. Veterans and area service men
and women were honored; skydivers landed on the field presenting the nation's
colors and an American flag (see above); a plane did a flyover of the stadium; and
red, white and blue balloons were released prior to kickoff. See page 14 for more
photos. Wilton won the game 27-0. See page 16 for coverage. Photo by Derek Sawvell

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