MARSHALL — Marshall’s current mayor and a newcomer to the Marshall City Council emerged as winners in contested council races Tuesday.

Unofficial vote totals showed Mayor Bob Byrnes winning re-election against challenger Noel Ayala. In Marshall’s Ward 2 voting precinct, candidate Amanda (Beekman) Schwartz received the most votes out of three candidates running. According to unofficial vote totals, Schwartz received 1,039 votes. David Sturrock received 705 votes, and Dereck Deutz received 573 votes. Both Schwartz and Deutz are Marshall businesspeople, and were new faces in city elections. Sturrock, an educator at Southwest Minnesota State University, has served as a city council member in the past.

Current city council members Amanda Schroeder and James Lozinski, who ran unopposed in Marshall voting wards 1 and 3, were re-elected.

Unofficial election totals said Byrnes received a little more than 72% of the vote in Marshall, with 4,264 votes. Ayala received 1,595 votes. There were 52 write-in votes.

“I am honored to serve another term as mayor. I will serve humbly, and I look forward to a lot of good things going on in the next four years,” Byrnes said.

The city of Marshall is looking at economic development and housing projects, as well as major projects like building a new Aquatic Center. Byrnes said those ongoing projects were one of the reasons he ran for re-election.

Byrnes said he wanted to acknowledge his opponent. “I’m thankful for Noel, that he filed,” Byrnes said. He said it took initiative to step into the spotlight and run for mayor.

Byrnes served on the Marshall City Council from 1986 to 1992, and has been mayor since 1992. This year was Ayala’s second time running for Marshall mayor. Ayala was one of two candidates challenging Byrnes in the 2020 mayoral election.