Election to a third term on Missoula's City Council was thin as a dime for Missoula"s former city treasurer Tuesday.Ward 6 Councilman Ed Childers defeated first-time challenger Lewis Schneller by 40 votes, 892 to 852.
Childers said he won the election because he has been doing a good job for the people of Missoula. Childers, who also serves as City Council president, said he intends to run for that leadership spot again.
Schneller said he was disappointed not to be able to bring change to the council, but wasn't discouraged by his defeat.
"The balance of power still hasn't changed," he said. "I don't think there'll be any healing. The far left still calls the shots."
He called his first bid for council a learning process. "I don't think I'm through with this," he added.
The two candidates split over several issues including infill, planned neighborhood clusters and the size of the city budget.
Currently, Ward 6 permits rezoning that allows density of more than 16 units per acre with caveats, Childers said. He said he would like to continue to make high density available to people who desire to build small homes.
Schneller said he is against high density and planned neighborhood clusters because he was once evicted from his trailer so that a developer could build a PNC on his lot. The developer had no "sense of empathy" for those who lived in the trailer park, he said.
Both candidates said the mail-in balloting was a success and contributed to higher voter turnout.
Childers, however, said watching the votes come in wasn't as much fun as watching a horserace.
"We've never come down here for this before and now I see why," Childers said when he got to the courthouse where the ballots were being counted. "This is the most boring party ever."
- By LUCAS HAMILTON, KALIE DRUCKENMILLER, CONRAD WENDLAND and MORGAN FREDERICK
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