Change may be in the wind in Palo

Today's election in Palo could mean big changes for the town of 950.

Four of five council seats are up for re-election, and the town will have a new mayor after Jeff Beauregard stepped down and decided to run for council.

In all, 16 candidates are vying for four City Council openings, an unusually high level of interest in the flood-rocked town.

“It just appears that people are upset with the way that the council handled things after the flood, or other personal agenda items that really haven't come out,” said Paula Gunter, the lone City Council incumbent not up for re-election.

Other small Linn County towns don't have near as many council candidates. Center Point has three candidates for four openings. Alburnett has three candidates for three openings.

In Palo, aside from Beauregard and council member John Harris - who is running unopposed for mayor - the incumbents are Al Mengler and Trent Miller. Mengler is unopposed, though he faces a write-in campaign.

All but a handful of the homes in the low-lying river town were flooded in 2008. Palo got off to a fast start with recovery but has been racked by disagreements over drainage and where the town will get its drinking water. The town badly needs new construction to stimulate growth for its tax base.

“We still are working on getting our community center rebuilt, working on street projects, working on drainage issues - decisions that don't get made over night,” Gunter said.