City of Decorah voters elect three newcomers

Mayor-elect Lorraine Borowski

New faces are headed to Decorah City Hall.

Voters on Tuesday night elected Lorraine Borowski as mayor and Ross Hadley and Johanna Bergan to the Decorah City Council.

Borowski defeated longtime Decorah City Council member Gary Rustad, 1,403 to 611.  She tells decorahnews.com, "People were ready for a change."  She says the response she got while campaigning was very encouraging.  Borowski will succeed Don Arendt, who decided not to seek re-election after three terms.

Hadley and Bergan will replace Rustad and Charles Lore on the Decorah City Council.  Bergan defeated Lore 190 to 163 and says people discussed a wide variety of issues with her, but mostly "people wanted to be listened to."  Hadley says taxes, the Decorah Fire Department and road repairs were top topics among the people he talked with, while Bergan agrees that bread and butter issues, including safety and street lights, were on the minds of 5th Ward residents.

Borowski, Hadley and Bergan will be replacing people with a combined 36 years experience in Decorah city government.

Meanwhile, voters stayed with the incumbents in the Park-Rec Board election, with Cindy Albers and Shirley Vermace winning re-election.

City council member-elect Ross Hadley

5th Ward city council member-elect Johanna Bergan