Posted 04/06/05

MOLINE -- With a margin of only 91 votes, Don Welvaert was elected mayor of Moline Tuesday.
According to unofficial, final results from the Rock Island County Clerk's office, Mr. Welvaert received 3,899 votes, or 50 percent, and opponent Pat O'Brien received 3,808 votes, or 49 percent.
Both men are sitting aldermen whose terms expire in May.

Mr. Welvaert said the results were close all night long. "It was a 50-50 race the whole night," he said.
When he found out that south Moline precincts 6 and 7 were the last two to report the numbers, he became more confident. "Those are precincts that have been good to me," he said.
"I thought that it just had to be good news, and it was."

Standing in a room filled with friends, neighbors and family, Mr. Welvaert said all his supporters contributed something to the race, from making telephone calls to sending mailers. "It was not just my race," he said.

Mr. Welvaert's platform, progress with a balanced approach, focused on creating and retaining jobs; building community pride through the maintenance of streets and buildings; and providing a good quality of life through the schools, parks and libraries. He believes the city is on a good path. "We have a number of opportunities in front of us in Moline."

Mr. O'Brien watched the results at his home before joining his supporters at the Moline Community Center. "I think I ran a good race," Mr. O'Brien said. "I don't know how I could run a more quality campaign than what we ran." He'll decide today whether to seek a recount.

During his campaign, Mr. O'Brien touted his record on taxes, and his position that building projects should be put to the voters. He was supported by several local Democratic legislators, as well as local, regional and national unions.

Retiring Mayor Stan Leach, who backed Mr. Welvaert, was excited with the results. "I think Don will carry the city forward in a progressive manner," he said. "He has been positive in a lot of his votes."
Mr. Welvaert was also backed by former public safety director Steve Etheridge, the Committee for Better City Government and Ald. Bill Adams, 5th Ward, who threw his support behind Mr. Welvaert after Ald. Adams lost in the mayoral primary.

Four aldermanic seats were also up for election. In the 2nd Ward, Western Illinois University student Michael Carton won with 601 votes, or 54 percent. His challenger, Andria McDermott, an operations manager at Happy Joe's, received 507 votes, or 45 percent.

In the 4th Ward, sitting Ald. Dick Potter beat out a write-in candidate, James Beals, with 695 votes, or 81 percent. Mr. Beals received 161 votes, or 18 percent, according to final, unofficial results.

Incumbent Ald. Mike Crotty will continue to hold the 6th Ward seat after edging out challenger, Crystal Stillwell. Mr. Crotty received 736 votes, or 66 percent, and Ms. Stillwell received 376 votes, or 33 percent, according to final, unofficial results.

Kent Breecher will fill the At-Large aldermanic seat vacated by Mr. Welvaert. He received 4,017 votes, or 59 percent, according to final, unofficial votes. His competitor, Kathleen Snodgrass, received 2,733 votes, or 40 percent.