Familiar faces return to Marion City Council

The Marion City Council will welcome back some familiar faces, after residents reelected incumbent Joe Spinks and former city councilwoman Mary Lou Pazour.

Spinks beat out challenger Chris Schumacher for the Ward 2 seat, 52.6 percent (2,152 votes) to 46 percent (1,882 votes), respectively.

Spinks, who has served on the council for six years, said he's looking forward to continue pushing for Marion's progress.

He pointed to the influx of construction and development seen over the past few years, including the Marion Enterprise Center - 184 acres of shovel-ready land at the corner of Highways 151 and 13 - the Lincoln View Square commercial development and a possible relocation of Marion Iron, which would open Seventh Avenue up for further development.

But Spinks pointed out that this progress was made through the efforts of many.

"People always say, 'I'll do this or I'll do that to get elected,'" he said. "But it's not I, it's we."

Pazour won the four-way race for the at-large seat, pulling in 44.4 percent of the vote (2,070 votes). She beat out opponents Dwight Hogan, who won 20.2 percent (942 votes), and Ron Swearingen, who won 16.9 percent (790 votes).

As of deadline, it was not reported how many votes incumbent Craig Adamson, who ran as a write-in candidate, received out of the 859 write-in votes cast.

Pazour sat the last cycle out to care for her ailing mother. But she said her reelection shows that the city of about 35,000 proves residents want to move in a new direction.

"They see what's happening, and they want me to lead them out," she said.

Adamson said this is not his last election. He's decided to raise a family and grow a business in the city, and he is still invested in its future and success, he said.

He added that when it comes to progress, some people have "thrown anchors into the ground," and he doesn't want to the city be pulled backward.

Councilman Nick AbouAssaly ran unopposed in Ward 4. He received 96.3 percent of the vote, or 3,349 votes.