ShawneeDispatch.com

The incumbent and a political newcomer triumphed in Tuesday's primary election for the Ward IV Shawnee City Council seat, one of them by just fewer than 30 votes.

According to complete but unofficial election results from the Johnson County Election Office, Mickey Sandifer and Frank Imgrund came out on top, gaining 57 percent and 24 percent of the vote, respectively, and will move on to the April 1 general election. Paul Wohl, who also ran in Ward IV in 2006 and lost in a primary, garnered just 131 of the 672 total votes.

Imgrund, 46, said that with 159 votes, he was glad to make it past the primary.

"It was my first election ever, so I didn't know what to expect," said Imgrund, who is a manager for DST Systems, a computer software services company. "I still have my work cut out for me, but I'm happy with second place for now."

Having attended Monday's Council meeting, Imgrund said his plans for the next month included following Council issues more closely and getting out in the community more to talk to Ward IV residents.

Wohl, 58, took his loss fairly calmly.

"Oh, well - doggone," Wohl said. "I'm kind of disappointed. But I'm certainly supporting Mickey at this point."

Wohl, a vice president of marketing for XL Weather & Energy, thanked those who have supported him. He said he enjoyed campaigning for a second time because it gave him a chance to meet more fellow Shawnee residents.

"It really reaffirmed the reason my family and I chose to live here in Shawnee; it's a great place," he said.

Sandifer's 382 votes mean he beat out his opponents' combined vote totals, but he said he won't rest on his laurels.

Sandifer, 52, president of Sandifer Leasing Inc., said he was honored that the residents of Ward IV feel he has done a good job and promised he would continue to do a good job.

"I'm in office to represent the people of Ward IV, and as I go to their doors (campaigning), I've been taking countless requests and answering questions," Sandifer said. "I'm taking note of what the people of Ward IV want, so when we're dealing with city matters, we have their concerns in mind."

Sandifer also congratulated Wohl on running a clean and fair campaign.

Results remain unofficial until the Board of Canvassers meets at 9 a.m. Monday at the Johnson County Election Office.

With the primary finished, the focus of the city elections now turns to the general election. There will be contests in each of the four wards, plus the mayoral race:

In Ward I, Kathleen Chipman Shamet will face incumbent Cheryl Scott.

In Ward II, Ron Weigel is squaring off against Neal Sawyer.

The Ward III race pits Bob Dyche against Dawn Kuhn.

In the mayoral race, incumbent Jeff Meyers faces Council member Dan Pflumm.