Two new faces joining city council

When Chester City Council convenes its next meeting, two new council members will be seated on the dais.
In the Ward I council race, William "Budda" Killian, running for the third time, defeated one-term incumbent Alan Clack 556 to 492. Killian said he wanted to focus on bringing jobs to Chester and on giving young people productive recreation options. He said he would serve the entire city.
"I have an opportunity to show Chester what I'm capable of doing," Killian said. "I'm for everybody. I'm not a councilman for one group of people, I'm a councilman for everybody."
The Ward II and Ward III seats were the only ones to not see any turnover. In Ward II, incumbent Betty Bagley defeated first-time candidate Fred David Sharrai II by a margin of 698 to 305.
"Residents know if they call me with a problem, I will come to them," Bagley said. "And I will take it straight to city hall."
Bagley said she is a council member, but is also a Chester resident, and always tries to act in the best interest of residents because she'd want her representatives to do the same.
In Ward III, incumbent Annie Reid won a fourth term by besting challenger Thomas Durant Taylor 735 to 332. For the third straight election, Reid was the top overall vote-getter.
"That makes me feel really good," Reid said. "I'm glad people support what I say and what I do. They didn't just vote that way, they actually tell me they are glad I'm doing what I'm doing."
There was no incumbent running in Ward IV, where two-term incumbent Susan Kelsey opted not to seek re-election. Former Councilman King Thompson emerged as the victor in a three-way race. Thompson finished with 576 votes, while Ike McBrayer had 257 and Christopher Winters had 246. Thompson said the results of the election made it clear that voters wanted something different.
"I interpret it as people are ready for a change. I think they want more aggressive people representing them," Thompson said.
Thompson said a top priority was finding a way to raise revenues for the city without raising taxes.
The new council will have a couple of big projects to tackle right from the start, with a new budget due soon and the city in the process of searching for a new police chief.