Waterloo Councilman Dave Boesen has upset incumbent Mayor Quentin Hart in a runoff election to become the next Mayor of Waterloo. Boesen received 55% of the vote while Hart received 45%. Back in November Hart comfortably defeated Boesen and the other challengers by receiving 49.7% of the vote compared to Boesen’s 40.7%. Had Hart gotten just .4% more of the vote he would have avoided this runoff. More people voted in this runoff election than in November. In November 11,530 votes were cast. Last night there was a little more than 40 more votes. Typically there is a drop in turnout in runoff elections according to Black Hawk County Auditor Karen Showalter. Mayor Hart had served five terms and would have become Waterloo’s longest serving mayor if he would have been reelected. Boesen is a former firefighter in Waterloo and ran on a platform of change and a commitment to transparency and public safety, as well as economic development.
