Tim Bennett Jr. defeated three fellow Republicans in the Aug. 4 primary election for Jefferson County Council District 5.
He’ll face Libertarian candidate Danielle “Dani” Elliott in the Nov. 3 general election. Elliott ran uncontested in the Aug. 4 primary.
No Democrats filed for the seat.
According to complete, but unofficial results reported by the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office, Bennett won the race with 1,396 votes (36.44 percent of the total vote). Fellow Republicans Anthony Pousosa received 999 votes (26.08 percent), John Jay Lee received 841 votes (21.95 percent) and Misty Whetstone received 595 votes (15.53 percent).
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.
“It’s been an unconventional campaign,” Bennett said. “Most of the time, people have a couple of years to campaign, go through the motions, and we did it in about four months. It was definitely a long, hard road to go. It was definitely a tough battle, but ultimately we were able to come out on top.”
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 there’s still work to be done to secure his seat as District 5 representative in the Nov. 3 general election, but for tonight, he’s soaking in the success.
“At the end of the day, we have to be able to come together as neighbors and as friends,” Bennett said. “That's the big thing that I've really tried to push and, you know, to encourage people to listen. We don't always have to agree, but at the end of the day, what's the compromise? What can we do to move forward together as a community?”