Mayoral races ... New faces

Four of the six incumbent mayors running contested races in Tuesday's election have lost their bid for another term.

John Gordon, mayor of Wyanet for the past 39 years, was defeated by village trustee Bruce Hand. Gordon received 90 votes to Hand's 111 votes. A third candidate, village trustee Raymond Travis, received 61 votes. Voter turnout in Wyanet was 38 percent.

On Wednesday, Gordon said he was glad for the years he was given to serve the Wyanet community.

“ I want to thank the general public for all their votes and support through the years and also for the votes I received yesterday,” Gordon said. “I have appreciated the opportunity I had to serve as mayor for all these years."

Hand could not be reached for comments on the race.

In the Spring Valley mayoral race, another long-time figure on the Bureau County political scene went down to defeat Tuesday. Jim Narczewski, who has served as mayor for five terms, was defeated by Cliff Banks, a retired construction worker. Fifty-one percent of the registered voters cast ballots.

Banks won with 1,025 votes, or 55 percent of the total, to Narczewski’s 826 votes. Banks was victorious in all six precincts.

“The people of Spring Valley are excellent,” Banks said. “Jim has done a good job, but it was time for a change.”

Banks said he worked hard to win the election, walking the city streets for six weeks, and knocking on every door in the town. Banks said he talked with a lot of people, and now he is ready to speak for them.

“I am going to be the voice of the people of Spring Valley and we’re going to make a big difference,” he said.

In Bureau, Rodney Crowther defeated incumbent Mayor Timothy Shipp, on a 76 to 65 vote. Shipp is finishing his fourth term as mayor. Voter turnout in Bureau was 65 percent.

Neponset Mayor Tim Folger lost his bid for re-election to challenger Carl Rohrig. Folger received 49 votes to Rohrig's 75 votes. Voter turnout in Neponset was 41 percent.

The one incumbent mayor who won a contested race was Michael Pinter, who was seeking his second term as LaMoille village president. Pinter defeated challenger Anthony Taylor on a 137 to 116 vote. Voter turnout in LaMoille was 50 percent.