Rexburg elects three new council members

NATHAN WILSON WIL05061@BYUI.EDU scroll staff

Citizens of Rexburg elected three City Council members and rejected a proposed tax increase for better roads Nov. 8.

The elections were a race between nine candidates vying for three seats on the City Council. The ballot also gave voters the chance to vote on a new road levy, which would increase the tax rate to pay for road repairs and construction.

Winners of the election were Christopher Mann, a BYU-Idaho employee; Bart Stevens, a native of Rexburg and a building contractor; and Randall Schwendiman, a certified public accountant in Rexburg.

Defeated candidates included incumbents Nyle Fullmer and Irma Anderson, a member of the council who was appointed two years ago.

Voters could chose three of nine candidates. In total, 2,300 ballots were cast.

Christopher Mann won with 57 percent voter support. Stevens and Schwendiman each had about 48 percent voter support.

“I had no idea how it was going to turn out. When I found out the results, it was like Christmas morning for an eight-year-old kid,” Mann said.

Mann has been serving on the Traffic and Safety Committee for the past five and a half years. “ I didn’t do this because I wanted to be the BYU-I candidate. I’m just a concerned citizen who wants improve the quality of life for everyone.”

The road levy failed, with about 60 percent of the votes against an increase in taxes for road repair. In total, 912 voted yes, 1,283 voted no and 105 didn’t vote on the issue. The levy needed a two-thirds majority to pass.