Politics & Government

Mehlville Residents Head to the Polls

Polls report a slow trickle of voters in the early morning hours.

The end of today will bring new faces to the Mehlville school board, a county assessor and decide the fate of the fire district for the next six years.

In April 2009, only 9,663 out of the district's approximately 90,000 residents voted for members of the school board.

Now, nine candidates face three open positions as current members Erin Weber and Drew Frauenhoffer are not running for re-election and the vacated seat of Karl Frank Jr. is up for grabs.

Find out what's happening in Mehlville-Oakvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I think the school board race is one of the most important in this election,” Ken Braun said. “They set the educational priorities of children.”

Braun was at Bierbaum Elementary School to vote before work.

Find out what's happening in Mehlville-Oakvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The polls were slow this morning as workers at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and Bierbaum Elementary saw only a trickle of people.

“We haven’t seen very many people at all,” Dianne O’Brochta said. O’Brochta has been a poll worker for three years, starting with the last presidential election.

“I think I just wanted to get involved and volunteer,” she said. “I was interested in the process and it’s a good way to meet people in the neighborhood.”

O’Brochta was stationed with fellow poll-worker Janet Keller.

“There’s not enough people, they’re desperate for people to work the polls,” Keller said. “We get out here at 5 a.m. and are done after 7 p.m. It’s a long day.”

Candidates also have a long Tuesday as many are out doing last-minute campaigning. School board candidate David Wessel was outside Bierbaum Elementary at 6 a.m. and said he was restless the night before.

“I couldn’t sleep, I woke up at 1:30 a.m. and put out some more signs,” he said. “We went out early last evening and put out signs, my wife and I.”

Wessel said his wife has been the backbone of the campaign, handing out fliers during the day while he worked in St. Charles.

“It’s been an eye-opening experience,” he said. “I was out every day for four weeks.”

Wessel’s work might pay off as he got the vote of Mehlville resident David Nichols.

Nichols said he supported Wessel as well as Elaine Powers and Mark Stoner.

“I know Mark Stoner and we need good, confident people serving on the board,” he said.

The polls will be open until 7 p.m. tonight. Mehlville Patch will have live coverage of the results throughout the evening. 


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