Proposition 1 seems to be the primary reason that 14.37 percent of Belle voters gathered at the polls on April 5 as all 133 votes cast in both precincts voted down the measure that would have made the marshal position appointed instead of elected.

“As far as Proposition 1 goes, I am very disappointed it didn’t pass,” Mayor Josh Seaver commented after the defeat. “We did all we could to get the information out, but people obviously weren’t interested in hearing it. We will still work on getting the police department back together, but this changes the timeline. We will do what we’ve gotta do to move forward.”

The proposition failed in the Maries County precinct with 74 voting no and 31 yes. In the Osage County precinct, the measure actually passed by one vote — 14 yes and 13 no.

According to unofficial election results, all 105 voters in the Belle precinct voted on the measure and 27 of 28 voters in the Osage County precinct did the same, for a total of 133 votes throughout the day.

Due to unusual circumstances, the Belle Board of Aldermen had four of its five seats up for re-election, as well as the marshal’s four-year term.

For Alderman Ward 1, Jeanette Struemph was scheduled to be on the ballot for the end of her two-year term, as well as Ward 2 Alderman Sundi Jo Graham. Both women ran unopposed.

Struemph received`23 of 28 votes cast in the Osage County Precinct and 23 of 31 votes cast in the Maries County Precinct, for a total of 46 out of 59 votes,  or 77.97 percent.

Graham received 48 votes of the 74 votes cast with 13 unresolved write-in votes for 64.86 percent of the voters.

There was a race for Ward 1 aldermen between incumbent Fred Bethmann, interim alderman for Seaver after he took over the mayor position from former Steve Vogt, who resigned in June 2021, and first-time campaigner Barbara Howarth.

In Maries County, Bethmann received 15 votes and Howarth received 14 votes for a total of 29 out of the 31 cast.

In the Osage County Precinct, Bethmann received 10 out of 26 votes cast while Howarth received 16 votes. Howarth won with 52.63 percent of the vote.

Seaver, Belle mayor, was also running unopposed. He received 51 out of 105 votes in favor and 17 unresolved votes in Maries County Precinct. In Osage County, Seaver received 21 of 21 votes in favor. That is 72 out of 126 votes cast, or 57.14 percent.

Local resident and Connors Country Lodge owner Terry Connors was the only person to run for marshal. The unopposed candidate received 47 votes for and 17 unresolved, out of the 105 cast in the Maries County Precinct for 47.76 percent of the overall vote.

In the Osage County Precinct, Connors received 12 of 28 votes cast, for 42.86 percent of the vote. Connors received 59 votes out of 152 votes cast in both precincts for 38.81 percent.

Connors is not POST certified and has six months to enroll in a program. However, he has said he plans to request a waiver from POST in lieu of past experience in military law enforcement.

The city of Belle was scheduled to certify election results on April 12 during it’s city meeting after The Maries County Advocate’s deadline.