JOHNSTON, Iowa – Bryan Burkhardt defeated Jim Gorsche and Adam Haar in the special election to win the vacant seat on Johnston’s City Council on Tuesday with over 50 percent of the vote. Burkhardt and Haar were the top two vote earners in a primary special election in May to earn a spot on the ballot. Gorsche, who placed third in the primary, fell short in a write-in campaign but topped Haar to come in second.
According to the Polk County Auditor, the unofficial results are:
- Bryan Burkhardt – 1,032 votes (51.1 percent)
- Jim Gorsche (write-in) – 777 votes (38.5 percent)
- Adam Haar – 203 votes (10.1 percent)
- Other (write-in) – 6 votes
“Thank you! Thank you to the voters. Thank you to my family. Thank you to the volunteers. Thank you to my opponent. Thank you to those who spread the word via social media or text messages or hand-written postcards or phone calls or personal conversations. Thank you to those who couldn’t vote but sent wishes from afar,” Burkhardt said on social media Tuesday evening. “I am humbled by today’s election outcome. I look forward to serving ALL the residents of Johnston. Community for ALL!”
Burkhardt is a professor and department chair at Des Moines Area Community College and owns CognitiveCooperative, a consulting business. He graduated from Johnston High School and Iowa State University. He moved back to Johnston in 2005 and resides there with his wife Betsy, an elementary teacher in Johnston, and their two children.
The special election is required to fill a vacant city council spot after Councilman Scott Syroka resigned in March to take a position with the Biden-Harris Administration
