MOUNT VERNON — Alec Wood, Phil Brooks, Liz Forman and Calvin Murphy will take their seats on the Gambier Village Council, according to the final unofficial results reported by the Knox County Board of elections.
Wood was the only non-write-in candidate on the ballot and achieved re-election with 198 votes (26.47 percent).
Additionally, voters reelected incumbent and write-in candidates Phil Brooks and Liz Forman. Brooks received 182 votes (24.33 percent) and Forman received 176 votes (23.53 percent).
Write-in candidate Calvin Murphy achieved the fourth open seat on Gambier’s council with 147 votes (19.65 percent).
Write-in candidate Jim Lenthe collected 37 votes (4.95 percent). Election officials recorded eight invalid write-in votes (1.07 percent), and those numbers brought the total to 748 votes cast.
Centerburg renewal tax levy passes
Centerburg voters said yes to a three-mill, five-year property tax operating levy for general expenses. The levy passed with 163 votes in favor (55.82 percent) and 129 votes against (44.18 percent).
The levy received 292 votes total.
“It’s really the part of the revenue that funds a lot of the operations that people see around the village,” Centerburg village administrator Rick Dzik said in a previous Knox Pages article previewing the levy.
“This is everything from the staff who plows the roads and takes care of the parks and other public areas to paying general bills and things like that.”
Centerburg accumulated $31,676.62 from the levy in 2024, according to the county auditor.
Long Branch Pizza in Centerburg will sell alcohol
In resounding fashion, Centerburg voters said yes to Long Branch Pizza obtaining a D-5 liquor license with 213 votes in favor (72.20 percent) and 82 votes against (27.80 percent).
Additionally, the restaurant obtained a D-6 liquor license to sell alcohol on Sundays, with 196 votes in favor (66.67 percent) and 98 votes against (33.33 percent).
Fredericktown police and community fire district levies pass
A three-mill, five-year renewal levy for the Fredericktown police department’s general expenses passed with 266 votes in favor (70.37 percent) and 112 votes against (29.63 percent).
The estimated $119,300 in general expenses will go towards salaries and maintaining vehicles and equipment, a sample ballot states.
Narrowly, the Fredericktown Community Fire District’s one-mill renewal, 0.35-mill increase general expenses levy passed. The general expenses would be used for salaries, vehicle maintenance and other equipment needs.
768 voted in favor (50.73%) and 746 voted against (49.27 percent).
The county auditor estimates that the levy will collect $273,000 annually at a rate not exceeding the 1.35-mill final rate for five years, according to a sample ballot.