With more than half of eligible voters turning out, the City of Pella election was contentious and featured different visions for the future of the community. And with a mix of candidates winning from both camps, Mayor Don DeWaard is hopeful to bridge those gaps and continue to move forward with projects he views as critical to the next four years.

DeWaard and Councilmember Dave Hopkins won re-election, while Harold Van Stryland returns to council at large after defeating incumbent Liz Sporrer following a four year absence related to a 2019 election loss to Calvin Bandstra, who lost his seat to council newcomer John Butler. Both Van Stryland and Butler opposed some of the viewpoints of DeWaard leading up to the November election, especially as it related to the possible issuing of debt and spending related to the Pella Rec Center.

“I guess I don’t know for certain, but I believe this is the most votes ever cast in a city election, with almost 4,000 votes,” he said. “Certainly, there are some sharp disagreements. I believe Calvin Bandstra and Liz Sporrer were great councilmembers and provided a lot of great information and perspective in a couple of areas, so I’ll certainly will miss them and their input on the council.”

“I’ve had a personal meetings with our new council members and to try and understand the kinds of issues and things that they’re interested in and I think that I’ve proven over a pretty good period of time that I’m pretty capable of bringing people together and working toward a common goal, so that’s what I’m going to keep trying to do.”

Hear more about the year 2023 in the City of Pella on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.