MONROE - The Common Council will see new aldermen in wards 3 and 9, and a possible recount in Ward 7.
Michael Boyce swept away incumbent Mark Coplien for Ward 3 by a vote margin of more than two to one.
"That's OK," Coplien said. "It was a win-win situation for me. Now I can spend more time with my family."
Ward 3 is the largest of the 10 wards in the city. About 50 percent of registered voters in the district turned out to the polls Tuesday, giving Boyce 238 votes and Coplien 109.
"The people wanted another change - a different avenue to make things happen," Coplien said.
He said the last four years on the council have been controversial, partly because of the administrator position not being refilled and the recession's squeeze on the budget.
"How many things can you pile on a plate?" he said.
Coplien is happy with the accomplishments the city has made during his time on the council.
"Monroe is the envy of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois," he said. "Nobody has built the buildings and done the things we've done."
Boyce ran on the idea of open government and transparency.
"Everything else flows from there," he said. "I look forward to working hard."
The City of Monroe saw a high turn out at the polls Tuesday as voters faced choices in three wards and for the mayor office - more than 1,950 voters cast ballots.
At the last mayoral election in 2008, a little over 1,000 voters showed up at the polls, according to City Clerk Carol Stamm.
Monroe had 5,627 voters registered prior to Tuesday's election, but Stamm said many voters registered at the polls.
"Many young people, first-time voters," she said.
In Ward 9 with no incumbent, Mike Rivers edged out Richard Thoman, 76 to 60.
Thoman said he was disappointed but would remain on the city's Visitor and Promotion Board.
Thoman was running simultaneously, and unopposed, for County Board of Supervisors in District 9.
"There's enough to do there anyhow," he said.
Rivers believed he won because of his message of including more citizens' voices at the city level and his idea of running the city as a small business.
"I'm excited to get to work and basically get this city on the right track, get on some committees and share my thoughts and ideas," he said Tuesday night.
Rivers said he will be planning a listening session in his ward in about two months to get people's thoughts.
Thurston Hanson in Ward 7 hung on to his seat by a mere six votes.
With an 87-81 vote split, Armstrong said he may ask for a recount.
"I didn't know what the turnout would be," Armstrong said.
Hanson said he and Armstrong ran a low-key race, with no signs and no ads.
"The only money I spent was on postage," Hanson said.
Hanson wished more of the 528 registered voters in his ward had turned out to vote.
"Some might not have wanted me, but they didn't know Louis (Armstrong), and instead of a write-in, they skipped the race," he said. "Louis never campaigned against me, didn't differentiate himself from me. What it came down to was personality, and mine was based on my voting record."
As for the possible recount, Hanson isn't worried.
"That's fine. I trust Carol (City Clerk Stamm) and what the people over there do," he said.
Neal Hunter ran unopposed for Ward 1, and Charles Koch ran unopposed in Ward 5.
Michael Boyce swept away incumbent Mark Coplien for Ward 3 by a vote margin of more than two to one.
"That's OK," Coplien said. "It was a win-win situation for me. Now I can spend more time with my family."
Ward 3 is the largest of the 10 wards in the city. About 50 percent of registered voters in the district turned out to the polls Tuesday, giving Boyce 238 votes and Coplien 109.
"The people wanted another change - a different avenue to make things happen," Coplien said.
He said the last four years on the council have been controversial, partly because of the administrator position not being refilled and the recession's squeeze on the budget.
"How many things can you pile on a plate?" he said.
Coplien is happy with the accomplishments the city has made during his time on the council.
"Monroe is the envy of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois," he said. "Nobody has built the buildings and done the things we've done."
Boyce ran on the idea of open government and transparency.
"Everything else flows from there," he said. "I look forward to working hard."
The City of Monroe saw a high turn out at the polls Tuesday as voters faced choices in three wards and for the mayor office - more than 1,950 voters cast ballots.
At the last mayoral election in 2008, a little over 1,000 voters showed up at the polls, according to City Clerk Carol Stamm.
Monroe had 5,627 voters registered prior to Tuesday's election, but Stamm said many voters registered at the polls.
"Many young people, first-time voters," she said.
In Ward 9 with no incumbent, Mike Rivers edged out Richard Thoman, 76 to 60.
Thoman said he was disappointed but would remain on the city's Visitor and Promotion Board.
Thoman was running simultaneously, and unopposed, for County Board of Supervisors in District 9.
"There's enough to do there anyhow," he said.
Rivers believed he won because of his message of including more citizens' voices at the city level and his idea of running the city as a small business.
"I'm excited to get to work and basically get this city on the right track, get on some committees and share my thoughts and ideas," he said Tuesday night.
Rivers said he will be planning a listening session in his ward in about two months to get people's thoughts.
Thurston Hanson in Ward 7 hung on to his seat by a mere six votes.
With an 87-81 vote split, Armstrong said he may ask for a recount.
"I didn't know what the turnout would be," Armstrong said.
Hanson said he and Armstrong ran a low-key race, with no signs and no ads.
"The only money I spent was on postage," Hanson said.
Hanson wished more of the 528 registered voters in his ward had turned out to vote.
"Some might not have wanted me, but they didn't know Louis (Armstrong), and instead of a write-in, they skipped the race," he said. "Louis never campaigned against me, didn't differentiate himself from me. What it came down to was personality, and mine was based on my voting record."
As for the possible recount, Hanson isn't worried.
"That's fine. I trust Carol (City Clerk Stamm) and what the people over there do," he said.
Neal Hunter ran unopposed for Ward 1, and Charles Koch ran unopposed in Ward 5.