Republican Tim Bennett Jr. defeated Libertarian Danielle “Dani” Elliott in the Nov. 3 election for Jefferson County Council District 5.
According to complete, but unofficial results reported by the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office, Bennett won the race with 5,777 votes, or 58.8 percent of the total vote, to Elliott’s 3,985 votes, or 40.56 percent of the total vote.
Scott Seek originally represented District 5 but vacated the seat in January amid controversy over his vote to reappoint his father to the Jefferson County Port Authority Board of Commissioners, an unpaid volunteer position.
The council appointed Bennett to fill the seat in March.
Bennett, 40, of Festus is the director of the Flag Football Festus Tiger Youth Football Program.
Bennett said he has worked hard to campaign for a full term since his initial appointment.
“It feels really good to know that what I’ve been doing, people are responding to, and they’re willing to let me represent them for another four years,” he said.
District 5 covers a southeast portion of the county, including Festus, Crystal City and Herculaneum.
Council members serve four-year terms and receive an annual stipend of approximately $13,929. A council member serves as the representative for residents of one of the county's seven districts. The council serves as the legislative body for the county government, meeting twice monthly to introduce, read, debate and vote on bills and resolutions.
Bennett said one of his biggest goals for his first term will be to take a thorough look at the county’s Unified Development Order (UDO) and update it. The UDO is a technical document used as a handbook for developers for the county’s zoning districts, building regulations and design standards.
“We have the UDO to protect the citizens of the county and those of District 5,” Bennett said. “The UDO, to me, would be the biggest thing that I want to go through.”