Welch Wins Council Race in Hannibal’s 5th Ward

The challenger has knocked off the incumbent in the race for the 5th Ward Council seat in Hannibal. The special election held Tuesday saw Colin Welch defeat incumbent Gordon Ipson by a margin of 65% to 35%.

According to unofficial Marion County numbers, Welch garnered 104 votes to 58 for Ipson. Voter turnout was placed at just under 10 percent of registered voters.

A small portion of Hannibal’s 5^th Ward lies in Ralls County.  Unofficially, Ralls added another 15 total votes, with Welch receiving 12 of the 15.

The special election was required by city charter after no candidate received over 50 % of the votes in the April 4 municipal election.  Welch finished first in that contest, ahead of Ipson.  However, the votes were split three ways in that race, with the third candidate, Richard Garrett, finishing last.  The charter calls for the top two candidates to compete in a runoff election.

Colin Welch attributes his success to one-on-one campaigning with 5th Ward residents.  Welch says he knocked on nearly every door in his ward.