Newcomer beats incumbent in Jackson Ward 3

Jackson voters retired the senior member of the board of aldermen Tuesday, giving newcomer Mark Dambach a narrow victory over 16-year Alderwoman Val Tuschhoff.

Tuschhoff and her supporters seemed stunned when the results were posted that showed she had lost her Ward 3 seat by 33 votes. "I did 16 years for the people, and I guess they got somebody else to take a turn in the reins," she said.

Dambach also seemed a little shocked by the result. He said he had worked diligently to introduce himself to voters but wasn't sure it had been enough.

"I knew that as a challenger I was the underdog, but I felt I had an even chance," Dambach said. "I felt it could go either way."

The final tally, 356 to 323, represented a turnout of about 30 percent of the ward's voters.

Listening and learning will be Dambach's first priority, he said. "I don't want to jump in like an arrogant newcomer," he said. "I want to go in there and just learn how things are done, then slowly raise my level of participation."

But the quiet period won't last too long, he said. In his campaign, Dambach promoted a burning ban and city collection of leaves and recycling.

"I won't be quiet, but I will learn how to get things done," he said.

Dambach will be one of three new faces on the board. David Hitt, who is a former alderman, was elected unopposed Tuesday, replacing Kerry Hoffman in Ward 2, who chose not to seek a new term. The board will also select a replacement for Barbara Lohr, who won the mayor's race to replace Paul Sander, who stepped aside after 14 years.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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