By AMBER WARD and ANDREA LOPEZ
(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) – Claps and shouts proclaiming, “A new sheriff is in town!” rang from the Johnson County Courthouse hallway as Scott Munsterman made an appearance Tuesday night.
Voters chose Munsterman as Johnson County’s new sheriff with 61 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results from the county clerk’s office.
Munsterman captured a total of 7,076 votes. Bill Brasel, the independent candidate, came in second with 2,341 votes. The Democratic candidate, Arnold Wilson, was third with 2,168 votes.
Munsterman spoke well of his opponents as he shook hands with his supporters.
“My opponents and I have always worked well together,” he said. “Wilson and I worked on a major case squad together. Mr. Bill Brasel and I have worked side-by-side, him being at the sheriff’s department and me working at the City of Warrensburg for the last 17 years.”
Stormy Taylor, Munsterman’s campaign manager, said they were excited for the results.
“Scott is going to be a great sheriff,” she said. “He is very hard working and has a lot of great ideas.”
Brasel and Wilson were unavailable for comment.
Munsterman said being sheriff has been a lifelong dream, and he looks forward to the challenge it brings.
He had several supporters present at the courthouse while the results were being finalized. His biggest supporter may have been his wife, Cheryl.
“This is a new adventure – an exciting adventure,” she said. “He’s going to do a wonderful job.”
As he steps into his new role as sheriff, Munsterman is all business.
“We need to sit down and get the budget done for the next fiscal year,” he said.
The clerk’s office reported a 43 percent turnout during the election. A glitch in the optical scanner in Holden caused a jam, delaying the vote count for that area. Each vote was recounted to ensure accuracy of totals.