KDSN RADIO News
Crawford County Prepares for November City Elections
Crawford County voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 4, to decide a wide range of city government seats across the county. The ballot shows a mix of candidates who filed for office and numerous positions that remain open, leaving opportunities for write-in candidates to step forward.
Open Seats and Write-In Opportunities
Several towns—including Arion, Buck Grove, Deloit, Ricketts, Schleswig, Vail, and Kiron—have multiple vacancies where no candidates filed. In some cases, entire councils will need to be filled by write-ins. For example, Arion has write-in races for mayor and all three council positions, while Ricketts and Kiron also rely heavily on voter write-ins.
Contested and Filled Positions
Other communities have filed candidates ready to appear on the ballot:
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Aspinwall has a full slate, with Thomas Irbeck running for mayor and six candidates for council.
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Buck Grove voters will see Terry Kolin for mayor, along with Aaron Schroeder and Michele Stover, seeking council seats.
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Manilla features Corey Gaskill for mayor and a packed council ballot, though one council vacancy will require a write-in.
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Westside voters will decide on Michell Simons for mayor and Allan and Kevin Simons for council.
Denison and Dow City Highlights
In Denison, the mayor’s seat will be filled by write-in votes, while Jennifer Zupp-Smith is running for Council At Large. Two council wards remain open for write-ins.
Dow City has one of the more competitive ballots: Kody Meyer is seeking re-election as mayor, Jennifer Williams is running for council, and Ace Ettleman is on the ballot for a two-year vacancy. However, other council seats still need write-in candidates.
Other Communities
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Charter Oak has Peggy Staley and Benjamin Heyne both seeking the mayor’s seat, while multiple candidates vie for council.
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Vail has Monte Crichton running for mayor, with Tom McCullough seeking a council seat, but other council vacancies must be filled by write-ins.
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Schleswig and Ricketts each feature candidates for some positions, but also have unfilled seats.
Local Impact
With so many open positions, voters across Crawford County will have a direct impact in shaping the future of their towns. In some communities, the outcome may depend entirely on write-in choices, giving residents the chance to step into local leadership roles.
Election officials remind citizens that every vote carries weight, especially in small-town contests where races are often decided by just a handful of ballots.
