HOWARD-By a five-vote margin, Howard elected a new mayor Tuesday night.
Challenger Donald Arens beat incumbent Andrew Dold for the two-year term, 108-103.
A 30-plus year veteran of the area, Arens served as mayor in Howard from 2006 to 2010, and after a six-year hiatus, thought the timing was right to run again.
"Andrew was a good mayor," Arens said Tuesday night. "I thought there should be new changes, so I thought I'd run again."
As for what changes he intends to make in his time leading the town, an emotional Arens was hesitant to say Tuesday.
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But, he was ready to express his gratitude for those who voted.
"I thought I was going to get beat, which is kind of dumb to run and think that way," Arens said. "But there's always a loser and a winner, and I'm just very, very happy and excited right now."
Dold could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Other Howard election results from Tuesday night:
• For two open Howard School Board seats, Julie Schwader and Jill Calmus were elected by Howard voters. Schwader, incumbent, received 218 votes, while Calmus received 260 votes to fill the two, three-year terms. Laura Shumaker received 122 votes and was not elected to the School Board.
• Gerald Adler received 32 votes to beat Tom Glanzer for a two-year Ward III term on the Howard City Council. Glanzer received 25 votes. Incumbent Mark Karstens chose not to run for re-election.
