City, school board races certified in Cerro Gordo County, tie broken in Swaledale City Council race, turnout highest since combining elections

MASON CITY — County supervisors across the state met on Wednesday to canvass and certify the final results of the 2025 city and school board elections.

In Mason City, neither of the contested races had their vote totals change, while final vote totals were established in the Clear Lake City Council Second Ward race that featured a write-in campaign. Incumbent Bennett Smith won the election with 236 votes. There were 228 write-in votes, with all but five being for write-in candidate Andi Tisor.

One election in Cerro Gordo County had to be determined by a drawing as there was a tie. Swaledale voters were looking to fill two at-large seats on the city council, but nobody filed to be on the ballot, making it an all write-in affair.  Darwin Johnson won one of the seats with 12 votes, while Roger Myhre and McKenna Hambly each had 10 votes.

Their names were placed on paper slips and then into a basket, with Board of Supervisors chair Chris Watts drawing out the winner — which was Roger Myhre.

23.3% of the registered voters in Cerro Gordo County turned out for the city and school board elections, which have been voted on together since 2019. Turnout two years ago was just over 20%. It was 15.4% in 2019, and 16.7% in 2021.