Otto, Hoelscher elected Cole County commissioners; Estes re-elected assessor
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There will be a new face in Cole County government following Tuesday's election, while two other positions will remain the same.
The races for Cole County Eastern and Western district commissioners and Cole County assessor had only Republican candidates, meaning the winners of Tuesday's election will run unopposed in November.
Voters chose between three candidates for Western District commissioner, two candidates for Eastern District commissioner and four candidates for county assessor.
Western District Commissioner
Voters elected Harry Otto to the position of Cole County Western District commissioner over incumbent Kris Scheperle.
Otto received 2,888 votes out of 7,360, or 39.24 percent.
Scheperle followed with 2,437 votes, or 33.11 percent. Gary Bemboom received 2,035 votes, or 27.65 percent.
Otto has spent his career working in public accounting and spent some time working for the Missouri Department of Revenue, the Missouri General Assembly and the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
"I'm appreciative of my family's support and encouragement for me to take this step, and my supporters and volunteers who worked so hard - I really appreciate all they've done for me, and I look forward to serving the citizens of Cole County," Otto said Tuesday night.
Scheperle has served on the commission for eight years, and he has owned All Seasons Landscaping & Construction Inc. for 21 years.
Bemboom has been a business owner in Mid-Missouri for many years. He owns a heating and cooling business and previously owned several convenience stores in the area.
Eastern District Commissioner
Incumbent Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher was elected to another term over challenger Rick Mihalevich.
Hoelscher received 63.25 percent of the vote, or 4,334 votes out of 6,893. Mihalevich received 36.75 percent, or 2,559 votes.
"We're very happy," Hoelscher said Tuesday night. "We ran a good, clean campaign, and everybody worked hard. I appreciate my family, my supporters and especially the voters."
Hoelscher is currently serving his 12th year as Eastern District commissioner and owns construction and remodeling business Hoelscher Enterprises.
Mihalevich just completed an eight-year stint on the Jefferson City Council. He recently retired from teaching at State Technical College of Missouri and serves on the Heartland Port Authority Board.
Assessor
Cole County voters also re-elected Chris Estes as Cole County assessor over three challengers - Jonathan Roy Meyers, Rick Prather and Alex Meller.
Estes received 49.80 percent of the vote, or 6,945 votes out of 13,961.
Estes was appointed to the position in 2007 and has since won re-election three times.
"I want to thank the citizens of Cole County for putting their trust in me for four more years, and I promise to continue to give them a fair assessment and equal treatment, just like we've done for the last 12," Estes said Tuesday night.
Rick Prather recently ended an eight-year stint on the Jefferson City Council representing Ward 1. Professionally, he has a background in accounting and insurance and is a part-owner of Vogel Insurance Group. Prather received 37.95 percent of the votes.
Jonathan Roy Meyers has worked in the health care field and is a doctor of chiropractic medicine. Meyers received 4.40 percent of the votes.
Alex Meller owns a lawn and landscape company and oversees daily operations of his family's business, Payway Feed on Jefferson Street in Jefferson City. Meller received 7.86 percent of the votes.