CENTRALIA, IL — In the contested race for Centralia mayor, Bryan Kuder came out on top, bringing in more than 66 percent of the vote over his opponent Herb Williams.

The seat was contested beyond the ballot box, with a Marion County lawsuit by Bryan Kuder seeking a court decision naming him the rightful Mayor of Centralia after the Centralia City Council vacated his 2019 election victory. They later appointed Herb Williams to fill the vacancy created by their decision. Kuder says he’s glad to again win election to the mayor’s seat, adding that hopefully he will be seated this time and the city can move forward.

Jeffrey Castellari and Robert “Rob” Jackson were both elected to the Centralia City Council, replacing outgoing member Andre Marshall and Howard Jones who didn’t seek reelection.

Centralia voters also rejected for a second time a sales tax increase to pay for public safety.