Louderman wins Hannibal mayoral election

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Hannibal voters chose Barry Louderman as the Hannibal Mayor Elect by a margin of 238 votes on Tuesday.

Louderman had a total of 1,484 votes in Ralls and Marion County. Candidate Kristy Trevathan had 1,246 votes and Steve Colyar had 25 votes.

In an interview following his victory, Louderman said he is ready to hit the ground running and the first thing he wants to focus on is to get Hannibal City Council working together for the city again.

“That’s the first thing I am going to do,” he said, and then looked around the room at friends and family with a smile. “Well, after celebrating with these guys tonight.”

Louderman said waiting for results was nerve wracking but he also called it an outstanding day because of the large number of Hannibal voters who turned up at the polls. The total voters between Ralls and Marion County were 2,755, with 21 ballots cast in Ralls and 2,734 in Marion.

“Almost 3,000 votes for a special election is just crazy. I am really elated,” he said. “I feel really good and couldn’t have had a better team behind me. The people who supported me and pushed me across the finish line — they are just great people.”

Louderman wants everyone to know that he will be working for and with everyone. It is his desire to work together on all sides to do what is best for the Hannibal community.

Louderman also plans to reach out to Trevathan.

“I hope she continues to do what she does. She serves Hannibal in so many ways,” he said.

Trevathan also celebrated the night with friends and family. While she was not named the winner, she said there is still reason to celebrate a campaign she feels good about.

“I felt that we ran a great campaign. I had lots of great workers who helped me and we all were positive,” she said. “I think at the end of the day, if you feel good about yourself and your community and friends who helped you then it was a success.”

Trevathan said her passion for Hannibal has not changed and she will continue to serve the community. One of her favorite areas of service is on the Hannibal Tree Board, where they will soon celebrate their 25th year as a Tree City USA. She is also working on a long term master plan park improvements through the Friends of Riverview Park.

“I had a lot more ideas and plans for Hannibal that I am sorry I won’t be able to implement, but I wish Barry the best and hope that he is able to do the things he hoped for,” she said. “Really, it’s all about the community and we all want the same thing. We want our town to prosper and have economic development.”

Voters also voted in favor of the proposition to require the monthly reports from the Hannibal City Manager and department heads by 2,424 to 298.