Election Roundup: The Day After

2:25 p.m. Wednesday update:

Creve Coeur's city council will have a different look to it following Tuesday's elections, as one challenged incumbent won re-election, and another fell in a lopsided defeat.

Ward 1 Councilwoman Beth Kistner fended off a challenge by Anthony Kardis to earn a fifth term, while Charlotte D'Alfonso defeated sitting Ward 3 Councilman Robert Haddenhorst.

In an email statement to Patch Wednesday, D'Alfonso said she was "thrilled with the results and appreciative for all the support I got along the way. I am also grateful that so many people let their voices be heard by taking the time out to vote," she wrote.

Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon, incumbent Robert Haddenhorst said he acknowledged the will of the people in voting for change. Haddenhorst told Patch he knew his decision to recuse himself from past and future matters facing Delmar Gardens development projects in the city because of his business ties "loomed heavily on residents' minds," but he continued to defend the decision as the right thing to do and noted that other council members have done the same on other issues.

Haddenhorst said he is "not riding off into the sunset" and hopes to stay involved through an appointment to a city board or commission. He did not rule out the possibility of accepting an appointment to the Planning and Zoning Commission, which is in need of a replacement for Scott Saunders following his election to council Tuesday. He said he had not been contacted by Mayor Dielmann regarding such an appointment.

Saunders won the race to succeed a term-limited Laura Bryant in Ward 4, said via email that he worked hard in the campaign and intends to work even harder to validate the decision voters made at the polls. When asked about the larger picture of council moving forward with two new members, Saunders wrote, "each of us brings to our office a unique background, skill sets, and therefore ways of thinking and approaching problems…that has the potential to lead to novel and creative solutions to the issues facing the city."

In Ward 1 Kistner praised Kardis for being in the race in comments Tuesday night to Patch, and Wednesday, the Kardis campaign's treasurer said the candidate was out of town. Lynn Berry did say she did not expect the campaign to challenge the outcome, despite questions over campaign finance reporting tied to Kistner's past campaigns.

According to the city's April 2011 newsletter, the new members will be sworn in April 24. The currently-constituted council will meet Monday night.

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