By Nancy Huddleston, Editor 

The historian made history in Savage on Election Day, as Janet Williams was elected to be the city’s first woman mayor.

Williams is well known in the community as an advocate of preserving the city’s history and as the secretary of the Dan Patch Historical Society. But the historical aspect of her win was the furthest thing from her mind on the day after her 3,110-to-1,749 win over challenger Lonny L. Johnson.

“I’m gratified by the response and acknowledgement of the citizens on what I’ve been doing the last four years,” Williams said of garnering 63.38 percent of the vote to Johnson’s 35.64 percent. “I see it as a mandate to keep on doing what we’ve been doing.”

Williams is looking forward to working with Councilman Al McColl and newcomer Christine Kelly, who will join Gene Abbott and Jane Victorey on the City Council. McColl was the top vote getter in the entire city election, with 3,119 votes (nine more than Williams got for mayor), to win re-election to his four-year term. Kelly came in second with 2,516 votes, Garry Larson was just behind with 1,870 votes and Frank F. Bailey II rounded out the field with 581 votes.

“I think we’ve got a great group that will work together like we have in the past,” Williams said of the overall outcome of the election.

Williams has no big plans and said she’ll continue to work on the items she’s worked on as a city council member for the past four years: orderly development, completion of the downtown redevelopment plan, updating the Comprehensive Plan and bringing the components laid out in the park and trail plan from the drawing board to reality.

McColl said he was “very humbled” by his victory.

“My perspective on this job is that I’m doing what I believe in, and I’m working for the best interests of the community,” he said. “I have no set agenda, and I know the decisions we make up there don’t always please everyone, but I truly believe we’re doing what’s best for the community.”

Like Williams, McColl has no big plans for his next term, just to “stay the course” and continue to keep the positive flow going in city government.

Kelly said she’s “very excited” to get to work as the city council’s newest member. “I couldn’t sit home and wait for results – I had to go up to city hall as they came in,” Kelly said.

As a newcomer, Kelly wasn’t sure what to expect on Election Day, but said she had good feedback on what she said during the City Council forum and from articles printed in the newspaper. “I think people saw me as a candidate they could relate to,” she said.

This is the first time in the city’s history that the City Council will be dominated by women. But it’s not the first time there have been two council women serving at the same time, as Mildred Ludowese and Vi Strom served on the City Council in the 1970s after Savage annexed Glendale Township.

The numbers

The overall voter turnout was 38 percent, as 5,567 of the 14,540 registered voters came to the polls Tuesday.

An unusual aspect of this year’s election was the high number of “under votes,” which are when a voter fills out a ballot, but does not vote in a specific race. City wide, there were 659 under votes for mayor and 2,984 under votes for City Council.

The same trend happened in Prior Lake, where voter turnout was 41 percent were 2,354 under votes were counted for the three-year Prior Lake City Council race and 630 with under votes for the two-year race.

One theory regarding the high number of under votes is that voters in the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District came to the polls specifically to vote on the two referendum questions on the ballot, and they ignored the city races.

That theory played out in six precincts in Savage that include District 719. At Precinct 3 (Savage City Hall), there were 86 under votes for mayor and 437 under votes for City Council; at Precinct 4 (St. Mary Magdalene Church), there were 149 under votes for mayor and 648 under votes for City Council; at Precinct 5 (Savage Public Works building), there were 65 under votes for mayor and 264 under votes for City Council; at Precinct 6 (Bethesda Church), there were 133 under votes for mayor and 512 under votes for City Council; at Precinct 7 (Bridgewood Church), there were 76 under votes for mayor and 432 under votes for City Council; and at Precinct 8 (O’Connell Fire Station) there were 46 under votes for mayor and 202 under votes for City Council.

Under votes at the remaining two city precincts that do not draw voters from District 719 included 12 under votes for mayor and 68 under votes for City Council at Precinct 1 (Quentin Avenue Fire Station) and 92 under votes for mayor and 421 under votes for City Council at Precinct 2 (Glendale Church).

 Nancy Huddleston can be reached at editor@savagepacer.com [2].  

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