Adam Cernovich and Tyrone Baker were elected to four-year terms on the Kewanee City Council in Tuesday’s municipal election.
Cernovich, with 1,109 votes, was the top vote-getter in the five-candidate race. Baker, who will serve his second term on the council, was second with 592 votes.
Steve Faber, the other incumbent in the race, was third with 498 votes, and political newcomer Obrey Blumenshine had 483. Scott Withrow received 74 votes.
“I’ve just been humbled by the entire process” of running for the council, Cernovich said.
He said he was pleased with the voter turnout, which was 73 percent higher than it was for the 2023 municipal election.
“Kewanee voters are engaged,” Cernovich said.
He said he would like to see the city do a better job of communicating to local businesses about financial incentives the city has to offer — the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program, for example.
Cernovich also saluted Faber and Blumenshine for their community involvement, and said he hopes they will continue to be involved in city government affairs.
Baker said that in his second term the issues facing the council will include the problem of chlorides in wastewater and the need for extensive street repairs.
He also said he would like to see the council get involved with improving mental-health services in Kewanee.
Only 18 percent of Kewanee’s voters cast ballots, either in person or by mail, in Tuesday’s council election. Countywide, 19 percent of voters went to the polls, up from 2023 when only 16 percent of voters did so, according to figures released from the Henry County GOP.
The turnout was better, 22 percent, in the Wethersfield School Board election, where four incumbents were returned to the board.
They were Stephen P. Newman (423 votes), Paula Jo Baker (411), Angela Ryan (403) and Allyson H. Schiltz (399).
Challenger Andrew Verstraete received 370 votes.
Unofficial results indicated that Kewaneean Jon Looney was unsuccessful in his bid to rejoin the Black Hawk College Board of Trustees. Looney finished third among the four candidates in the race; the top two, Douglas Strand and Marl Carlson were elected.
Looney did win Henry County with 2,970 votes countywide.
Five candidates ran for four seats on the Kewanee Township Board of Trustees. Incumbents Mark Ouart (696 votes), John Sovanski (647), Ted Sturtevant (613) and Tom Kazubowski (580) were elected. Challenger Chris DeVenney received 471 votes.
