Hiawatha mayor unseated

HIAWATHA - William Bennett has unseated Hiawatha mayor Tom Theis.

Bennett, 53, is owner of A-1 Storage and 5 Seasons Motosports. He has lived in the city 45 years but not held elected office before.

He beat Theis by less than 100 votes, winning 53.67 percent of the total ballots.

Theis, 72, who first served as mayor in the early 1980s and was a council member and volunteer firefighter for 30 years, was seeking his third consecutive term as Hiawatha's mayor.

'It's an interesting outcome,” he said. 'I just want to thank everyone that supported me.”

During the campaign, Bennett said he would seek to lower property taxes and bring transparency to Hiawatha government. He also opposed the use of city tax breaks to support an influx of car dealerships in town.

Also on the ballot, city council incumbents Dick Olson and Dennis Norton kept their seats, while newcomer Aime Wichtendahl gained the most votes to beat out incumbent Bob Wheeler.