With unofficial results compiled as of about 10 p.m. on Tuesday night, Marshalltown has officially elected a new mayor — current City Councilor Mike Ladehoff — and Sue Cahill and Jeff Schneider won a pair of contested at-large seats on the council.

Ladehoff bested Thompson, a current at-large city councilor, by just over 200 votes with 1,773 of the 3,348 votes cast (53 percent). The mayor-elect, who works in the nuclear division at Emerson, said he felt “very humble and very grateful” after the results came in on the Secretary of State’s website.

“I think people want to see progress in this town, and I think people can see the value in that and want to keep going with it,” Ladehoff said.

Upon taking office, his top priorities will include bringing new councilors up to speed, setting up office hours once he retires in May — one morning a week and one afternoon a week and taking action on the city’s streets, a frequent topic of concern among residents.

He added, however, that during his campaign, one of the biggest things he heard was excitement about the redevelopment of the mall under its new ownership to bring shopping back to Marshalltown.

Conversely, Thompson told the T-R he was a winner regardless of the outcome as his sixth grandchild was born on the morning of election day.

Cahill was the top vote getter in the at-large race with 1,997 votes followed by the incumbent Schneider (1,729 votes) and challengers Scott McLain (1,279 votes) and Tim Bradbury (899 votes). Cahill previously served as the Ward 1 city councilor before being elected to the Iowa House in 2020 and serving two terms.

“I have felt for a long time that I still have a voice that can be heard and can represent our citizens of Marshalltown, and I have a deep connection with the people in Marshalltown,” she said.

Cahill also cited her extensive work in the community both as an educator and a volunteer and said she looks forward to having another opportunity to serve the citizens of Marshalltown. She echoed Ladehoff’s comments on infrastructure and called for more transparency on the city’s plans for said infrastructure repairs, but she also hoped to improve housing opportunities and amenities for residents.

“How can we serve the people who live here, who work here, who own businesses here and who want to visit here? I mean, those were always my strong points. We’ve got to make sure we’re making the right choices to meet the needs of the people in Marshalltown,” she said.

Schneider, the director of Information Technology at MARSHALLTOWN Company, felt that Tuesday’s results expressed a vote of confidence in the current direction of the city.

“I ran on my record. I’m proud of it. I know Sue has a previous record at city council too, so I do think it’s a referendum that voters chose to go the direction of positivity, Marshalltown going forward, growing our community. I’m excited about that,” he said. “I just want to keep up the progress in all the things we’ve started. I want to finish what’s going on downtown. I want to keep the economic development train rolling, and I just want Marshalltown to grow and be a better place.”

He reiterated his stance on taking “a comprehensive approach” toward improving the city that doesn’t solely focus on infrastructure and also includes quality of life and economic development.

“We’re doing a lot on city infrastructure. It just happens to be downtown right now,” he said.

Additionally, Ward 3 Councilor Greg Nichols was elected to his first full term after winning a special election in 2023, and political newcomer Marco Yepez-Gomez was elected to represent Ward 1 and replace Ladehoff. Both Nichols and Yepez-Gomez ran unopposed.

After the results were posted, Yepez-Gomez shared a statement to his campaign Facebook page.

“I want to thank everyone who supported our campaign. I am excited to join the City Council next year and represent our community. This campaign has always been about building a Marshalltown where people can live, work, and feel proud to call home. With record turnout in Ward 1, it shows that our community is paying attention, speaking up, and believes that local government can make a difference,” he wrote. “Thank you for believing in the campaign’s vision. I look forward to advocating for more housing opportunities, stronger public transit, and a vibrant downtown that brings people together.”

According to the Secretary of State’s website, 6,225 ballots were cast out of 22,829 registered voters in Marshall County, a 27.27 percent turnout rate. Stories on the school bond issues and the city and school board races around Marshall County will be published in Thursday’s T-R.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.