Voter Turnout Steady on Election Day

Kirkwood polling locations opened at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Kirkwood Patch visited around noon to catch up with voters and gauge turnout.

Election Supervisor Jim Schjolberg said the hourly average of voters remained stable. Andrew Biedenstein, who was handing out campaign literature at different polling locations in support of his father's re-election to the Kirkwood City Council, said there was a large voter turnout to from 7-9 a.m. and turnout was a little heavier at than at Tillman.

Voters who talked with Kirkwood Patch said they chose candidates based on character.

"It was an easy vote for me," said Chris Ronecker, a lifelong resident of Kirkwood. Ronecker said that because Kirkwood is a tight-knit community, she feels like she knows the personalities and characters of the candidates and cast her ballot accordingly.

Local elections include the race for Mayor of Kirkwood, Kirkwood City Council, Kirkwood School Board and STLCC Board of Trustees.

Joseph Godi is challenging incubment Art McDonnell for the title of mayor of Kirkwood for a four-year term, while four candidates are vying for three open seats on the council to serve four-year terms. They include incumbents Gina Jaksetic and Gerry Biedenstein and challengers Jim Wilder and Nancy Luetzow. Council members serve four-year terms.

On the schools' side, incumbent incumbent Andy Stewart and challengers Scott Anderson and Sara King are vying for two open seats on the Kirkwood School Board to serve three-year terms. Even though his name on the ballot, . Bob Burns is facing off against Joan H. McGivney to serve on the STLCC Board of Trustees for an unexpired term ending next April.

Mike Schmidt said that he always votes in local elections, but this year it was the mayors' race that particularly interested him. Like Ronecker, Schmitt said he cast his ballot based on personal knowledge of the candidates.

Also on the ballot is Proposition S, a $100 million bond issue to pay for the construction of a new county family court and to fund repairs to the county circuit court. The issue drew Kirkwood resident Bill Fuller to Tillman Tuesday afternoon.

"I'm distrustful because when they say there's no tax increase. Usually there's an expiring tax, and it's deceitful because the tax would actually go down to its previous level if nothing is done. So it becomes a perpetual tax increase," Fuller said. "The school district does this all the time and it galls me. There's no free lunch, basically."