Incumbents fare poorly in county board, city council races
BEATRICE – Four incumbents have been ousted in local city council and supervisor races in Gage County.
Republicans Rex Adams and Rick Clabaugh won seats on the Gage County Board in the general election, defeating Democratic incumbent board members.
Adams, a former county supervisor, defeated Don Schuller by a close margin in the 6th District race, 724-to-708. Clabaugh, a former Beatrice City Councilman, unseated Democrat Dave Swavely by a more than two-to-one margin…..877-to-402.
In the race for Beatrice City Council, incumbents also had a rough election. First ward Councilman Tim Fralin was unseated by Gary Barnard, who moved from the Fourth Ward where he was a member of the council, to the First Ward. Barnard defeated Fralin, 676-to-653.
New candidate Dana Hydo unseated veteran Third Ward Councilman Rich Kerr, by a vote of 505-to-469.
Councilman Ted Fairbanks, running unopposed, was elected to another term as a Second Ward Beatrice City Councilman. Alex Eckhoff ran unopposed to win the Fourth Ward position….Barnard’s former council seat.
Gage County voter turnout in the November 5th General Election was nearly 76%....with voters casting ballots on election day outnumbering those who voted early, 5,859 to 5,246.