Lancaster County Board challenger Rick Vest beat incumbent Todd Wiltgen on Tuesday and will join fellow Democrat Sean Flowerday — who bested opponent Tim Duey — as the newest commissioners.
Vest, 62, beat Republican Wiltgen, 42, with 52 percent of the vote for the District 5 seat, which includes northeast Lancaster County and parts of northeast Lincoln.
Unofficial totals have Wiltgen, a legislative aide who won the election in an open seat four years ago, capturing 48 percent of the vote.
Vest, who retired from BNSF Railway Co. after more than 40 years, said he thinks his years as a blue-collar worker, as well as his work as a claims adjuster and negotiator for the railroad, connected with voters, as did his work as a certified mediator.
“I think people were looking for someone who could help pull people together and find solutions to the problems facing Lancaster County,†he said. “I am deeply honored by the outcome.â€
One of the most important issues for voters he spoke to was criminal justice reform.
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Flowerday, 31, handily beat Duey, 35, with 71 percent of the vote to Duey’s 29 percent. Both were newcomers running in an open seat left by Bill Avery, who did not run for re-election.
“I’m just incredibly thankful,†said Flowerday, the state administrator for Pathfinder Support Services, which provides child welfare services to the state. “I grew up in this district, it’s my home, and I want to represent the people who live here. ... The real work begins now.â€
Flowerday, who knocked on 14,000 doors up until about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, said District 1 voters are progressive and want a change, and finding better ways to help those with mental health issues was on many voters’ minds.
“They’re tired of a conservative majority,†he said. “They want a government that helps people, that comes together.â€
Deb Schorr, 57, a Republican who has served 15 years representing District 3, which covers southwestern Lancaster County and parts of southwest Lincoln, was re-elected in an uncontested race.
Election results
Election results for all statewide and Lincoln-area races
Medicaid expansion
Position |
Vote totals |
For Initiative 427 |
345,837 |
Against Initiative 427 |
304,253 |
Congressional races
Race |
Candidates |
Vote totals |
District 1 |
Kate Bolz |
116,120 |
|
Jeff Fortenberry, R |
179,557 |
|
Dennis Grace, L |
8,452 |
District 2 |
Donald Bacon, R |
162,087 |
|
Kara Eastman, D |
146,992 |
|
Tyler Schaeffer, L |
9,423 |
District 3 |
Mark Elworth Jr., D |
49,771 |
|
Dustin Hobbs, L |
10,723 |
|
Adrian Smith, R |
222,363 |
|
|
|
Lincoln mayor term limits
Position |
Vote totals |
For amendment |
51,720 |
Against amendment |
46,053 |
|
|
Lancaster County races
Race |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
County treasurer |
Matt Schulte (R) |
52,186 |
|
Rachel Garver (D) |
58,146 |
County clerk |
Dan Nolte (D) |
uncontested |
County assessor |
Rob Ogden (R) |
uncontested |
County sheriff |
Terry Wagner (R) |
uncontested |
County attorney |
Pat Condon (R) |
uncontested |
Public defender |
Joe Nigro (D) |
uncontested |
Clerk of district court |
Troy Hawk (R) |
uncontested |
County engineer |
Pam Dingman (R) |
uncontested |
Lancaster County Board
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
1 |
Tim Duey (R) |
4,556 |
|
Sean Flowerday (D) |
11,423 |
3 |
Deb Schorr (R) |
uncontested |
5 |
Todd Wiltgen (R) |
11,462 |
|
Rick Vest (D) |
12,274 |
|
|
|
Legislature
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
1 |
Janet Palmtag |
5,577 |
|
Julie Slama |
11,899 |
3 |
Rick Holdcroft |
8,582 |
|
Carol Blood |
8,779 |
5 |
Mike McDonnell |
6,559 |
|
Gilbert Ayala |
3,777 |
7 |
Tony Vargas |
6,819 |
|
Jorge Sotolongo |
1,919 |
9 |
John Cavanaugh |
8,003 |
|
Marque Snow |
6,690 |
11 |
Fred Conley |
3,330 |
|
Terrell McKinney |
5,820 |
13 |
Justin T. Wayne |
11,010 |
15 |
David Rogers |
6,210 |
|
Lynne Walz |
9,157 |
17 |
Joni Albrecht |
7,343 |
|
Sheryl Lindau |
3,576 |
19 |
Mike Flood |
15,200 |
21 |
Mike Hilgers |
9,895 |
|
Brodey Weber |
8,132 |
23 |
Bruce Bostelman |
11,287 |
|
Helen Raikes |
6,868 |
25 |
Suzanne Geist |
16,147 |
|
Stephany Pleasant |
8,104 |
27 |
Brenda Bickford |
5,448 |
|
Anna Wishart |
9,923 |
29 |
Eliot Bostar |
10,927 |
|
Jacob Campbell |
9,622 |
31 |
Rich Pahls |
10,197 |
|
Tim Royers |
9,093 |
33 |
Steve Halloran |
12,756 |
35 |
Raymond M. Aguilar |
6,570 |
|
Dan Quick |
5,688 |
37 |
Mercadies Damratowski |
4,098 |
|
John Lowe Sr. |
12,774 |
39 |
Allison Heimes |
11,457 |
|
Lou Ann Linehan |
14,554 |
41 |
Tom Briese |
15,804 |
43 |
Tom Brewer |
10,628 |
|
Tanya Storer |
7,691 |
45 |
Susan Hester |
7,671 |
|
Rita Sanders |
8,835 |
47 |
Steve Erdman |
14,901 |
49 |
Jen Day |
12,125 |
|
Andrew La Grone |
11,873 |
Public Service Commission
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
1 |
Dan Watermeier (R) |
72,956 |
|
Christa Yoakum (D) |
69,230 |
3 |
Tim Schram (R) |
94,743 |
|
Mike Forsythe (D) |
57,929 |
NU Board of Regents
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
1 |
Tim Clare |
92,526 |
2 |
Jack A. Stark |
96,770 |
State Board of Education
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
5 |
Patricia H. Timm |
36,803 |
|
Maris Bentley |
21,707 |
6 |
Maureen Nickels |
uncontested |
7 |
Robin R. Stevens |
uncontested |
8 |
Pat McPherson |
30,501 |
|
Deborah Neary |
43,528 |
SCC Board of Governors
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
At-large |
Timothy R. Cerveny |
81,405 |
|
Neal Stenberg |
82,575 |
1 |
Chuck Byers |
17,329 |
|
Jeanne H. Stec |
15,268 |
2 |
Kathy Boellstorff |
20,349 |
|
Chad Aldrich |
15,415 |
3 |
Edward C. Price |
32,588 |
4 |
Kristin E. Yates |
25,167 |
5 |
Arlyn Uhrmacher |
41,327 |
|
|
|
Lower Platte South Natural Resources District board
Subdistrict |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
1 |
Don Jacobson |
11,941 |
2 |
Ron Nolte |
12,778 |
3 |
Mike DeKalb |
6,243 |
|
Kenneth Vogel |
6,177 |
4 |
Gary R. Aldridge |
9,201 |
|
LeRoy W. Sievers |
9,199 |
5 |
John Yoakum |
4,402 |
|
Greg Osborn |
2,618 |
6 |
Anthony Schutz |
10,257 |
7 |
Chelsea Johnson |
8,933 |
8 |
Christine Lamberty |
7,807 |
|
Christy Eichorn |
4,505 |
9 |
Milt Schmidt |
4,712 |
|
Lisa Lewis |
7,518 |
10 |
Ray A. Stevens Jr. |
6,528 |
|
Bastienne Salners |
5,268 |
|
|
|
Seward County sheriff
Candidate |
Vote totals |
Joseph O. Yocum (R) |
3,059 |
Mike Vance (D) |
3,868 |
|
|
Retention of judges
Judge name |
Yes |
No |
Stephanie F. Stacy |
75,767 |
17,747 |
Julie A. Martin |
420,928 |
113,161 |
James Michael Fitzgerald |
395,604 |
130,312 |
Lori A. Maret |
64,891 |
20,225 |
Susan I. Strong |
69,033 |
16,152 |
Robert R. Otte |
65,830 |
19,367 |
Holly J. Parsley |
68,969 |
15,895 |
Thomas E. Zimmerman |
64,248 |
18,907 |
|
|
|
Charter amendment questions
Ballot question |
For |
Against |
Gender-neutral language |
50,325 |
15,449 |
Raising city bid threshold |
43,488 |
18,442 |
Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LJSreist.
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