Dexter's mayor, Randy Stephenson wasn't emotional about Tuesday night's municipal election.

This time, he was on the sidelines. A spectator, not a participant.

Stephenson did not file for re-election this year, ending a 22-year career of public service as a council member and mayor. For the last 14 years, he has served as Dexter's mayor and for eight years before that, he was a member of the Dexter City Council.

He will continue as the Dexter fire chief and already he is organizing the community's 125th birthday celebration next summer.

"Can you imagine that?" Stephenson said. "I give up one job that pays me a little and keep the job that doesn't."

The out-going mayor had praise for his successor, Joe Gardner, and the Dexter City Council. In fact, he side-stepped taking credit for the McNeilus Companies of Dodge Center, Inc. project that is anticipated to bring new jobs to Mower County.

"I had nothing to do with that," he said. "That was a combination of George Brophy, Ray Tucker and Natalie Shawback. Those are the key people. They did all the work; particularly Shawback. She kept everyone aware of what was going on. She kept the council aware of this whole thing for the last two and a half years that we've been working on it."

With the cooperation of the city of Dexter, the Development Corporation of Austin and Mower County, McNeilus Companies has a new manufacturing facility under construction in a Dexter Tax Increment Financing district near the Mill Inn motel and restaurant.

"It's a good project for everyone," Stephenson said. "Those people that I mentioned have worked tirelessly on this project for a long time."

Stephenson said he has enjoyed working with "some very good councils" through the years as the town's mayor.

Stephenson said he had no advice for his successor, who will take over the reins of the city in January 2003.

"He already knows. There's nothing that I can tell him." he said.

But, the question remains: Is this the last that Dexter has seen of Randy Stephenson in city government?

"I believe it's time for a change," he said, "but I'm not retiring and I'm not dying, so, who knows what the future may hold?"

Dexter results

Joe Gardner, a retired Olmsted County detective, was elected mayor of Dexter Tuesday.

He received 107 votes in an unopposed bid to fill the position, filling in for Stephenson. The mayor's term is two years.

Two new Dexter City Council members were elected Tuesday.

Dean Westfall was the leading vote-getter with 105 votes for a four-year term on the council.

Returning to the city council after a hiatus is Jon Dietrich, who received 89 votes.

Two other unsuccessful council candidates were Judy Johnson, 46 votes, and Jan Hangge, 33 votes.

According to Shawback, Dexter had an 81 percent turnout of registered voters Tuesday.

Swanson re-elected

LeRoy Swanson was re-elected to a third term as mayor of Adams.

Swanson received 350 votes to top all vote-getters in the Adams municipal elections and earned another two-year term as the town's mayor.

Long-time Adams City Council person Rose Schaefer, 201 votes, and Marilyn Thorstenson, 256 votes, earned four-year terms on the council.

Schaefer was running for re-election, while Thorstenson, the former long-time Adams city clerk, ran for a seat on the city council.

That vacancy was created when Mike Cherney stepped down because of his candidacy for Mower County Sheriff earlier this year.

H. Peterson returns

H. Peterson was elected mayor of Blooming Prairie.

Peterson defeated Harold Ulrich, 428 to 367, to earn a two-year stint as the town's mayor.

The mayor's race was created when incumbent mayor Ronald Anderson announced he would not seek re-election.

Peterson and Ulrich are former city council members.

Elected to the council Tuesday were Bill Newman, 585 votes, and Craig Kruckeberg, 489.

Kuhlman re-elected

If only Fred Lickteig could speak.

He would tell us about the year he was elected mayor of Rose Creek by a one-vote margin.

In fact, it was the only vote cast in that election.

Lickteig, a former hardware store operator, served as Rose Creek's mayor for 13 years.

Now, retired he is a stroke victim who cannot verbally communicate.

However, his wife, Marian, asked him if the story was true that he won a mayoral election with only one vote cast and the former mayor nodded "Yes."

He voted for himself and won the election.

It's one for the Election Day record-books.

This year, there were more votes cast in the Rose Creek municipal and other elections Tuesday.

Peter Kuhlman won his third term in office as mayor of Rose Creek.

According to unofficial results, Kuhlman received 172 votes. He was unopposed.

Two incumbent council members were elected: Bob Gilles, 159 votes, and Joyce Edland, 151 votes.

In all, city clerk Janet Nelsen reported 190 of 240 registered voters cast ballots in Rose Creek Tuesday.

New 'old' mayor

Elkton voters elected Michael O'Connor mayor Tuesday.

O'Connor defeated incumbent mayor Diane Engelhardt, 36 to 22 votes.

Neither was on the ballot.

Engelhardt is the current mayor; the first woman elected to the position in Elkton history.

However, she did not file for re-election. Neither did O'Connor.

However, the latter -- O'Connor -- was on the Elkton ballots as a candidate for re-election to the Elkton City Council.

On the Saturday before Tuesday's municipal election at Elkton, O'Connor campaigned in the community for election as mayor.

Elected to the Elkton City Council were two newcomers, Aaron Whipple, 40 votes, and John Krull, 38 votes.

Mark Veaver and O'Connor received 27 votes each in losing causes for council seats.

A total of 77 of 86 registered voters cast ballots Tuesday in Elkton for a 90 percent turnout.

'Dean' of mayors

Marvin Foster was re-elected mayor of Brownsdale.

Foster received 201 votes for mayor.

When he concludes his current term in office Dec. 31, he will have spent nearly 29 years as the city's mayor. No Mower County mayor has served longer than Foster.

Mike Chavez finished second with 99 votes.

Eric Anderson received 14 votes as a write-in mayoral candidate.

Scott Oakland was elected council member at-large with 220 votes; the largest total received in the Brownsdale municipal election.

Mary Lou Schroeder and David Nelson collected 147 and 143 votes respectively.

The four-vote margin was enough for Schroeder to win the second At Large seat on the Brownsdale City Council.

Tammy Kelly received 79 votes in the council race.

Foster was first elected mayor of Brownsdale at a special election in July 1973 to fill an unexpired term, when the mayor resigned in mid-term.

Foster was re-elected mayor in each election thereafter either as an on-the-ballot candidate or a write-in candidate.

His latest election victory represents his 15th two-year term in office.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com