Victor Stratman will take over as Maries County presiding commissioner next year.
Stratman, a Republican candidate, defeated Democratic candidate Vernon "Sonny" Helton during Tuesday's election. Of the 3,902 Maries County voters, 2,893 voted for Stratman (74.14 percent) while 998 voted for Helton (25.58 percent).
Stratman will replace current presiding commissioner Ray Schwartze, who is retiring at the end of 2018.
With this being his first time running for office, Stratman said he was "pleased with the overall experience," thanking voters and his family for their support. He said his next step is to attend the county commission meetings as an observer so he can "get right into the job" at the beginning of the year.
Helton said he is not mad or disappointed by the loss. He added he plans to continue participating in community service events now that the elections are over.
"Sonny is just going to be Sonny," he said. "I'm not going to be mad, disappointed, nothing. I'm going to go out and still serve the community. I'm still going to do just what I've done because I can't be nobody but Sonny."