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By DANIEL LOCKE | Staff Writer

HELENA – After none of the four candidates pursuing Place 5 on the Helena City Council, looking to fill the spot of Hewy Woodman, an incumbent not seeking reelection, received a majority vote in the Helena Municipal Election, Jeff McDaniels has defeated Alex Miller in a runoff.

According to unofficial poll results, McDaniels received 1,257 votes, or 60.5 percent, while Miller received 821 votes, or 39.5 percent.

“I am overly excited, but at the end of the day, I am only a representative of the people of Helena,” McDaniels said. “So I get a chance to speak to their values, what’s important to them and to bring some ideas to the table that hopefully will be part of problem-solving some of the challenges we’ve faced over the last five years.”

McDaniels is a military veteran with nearly two decades of experience in human resources and administration. He has volunteered with organizations such as the Bessemer Housing Authority, Community Food Bank and the PTO.

Miller is a project manager for KMD and the newest member of Helena’s Planning and Zoning committee. He is a volunteer wrestling coach at Helena High School.

The pair advanced to a runoff after being the two highest vote-getters during the race for Place 5 on the Helena City Council in the Helena Municipal Election on Aug. 26.

McDaniels received 1,826 votes, or 40.29 percent. Miller received 1,623 votes, or 35.81 percent. Rebekah McDow Henderson received 637 votes, or 14.06 percent. Michael Rodgers received 446 votes, or 9.84 percent.

McDaniels commended Miller for the quality of race he ran and for carrying himself with integrity throughout the campaign.

“Alex is an exceptional young man,” McDaniels said. “Some things came up in this race that weren’t pleasant by a few citizens, and Alex found his way to me to apologize. I thought that was a very huge responsibility for a very young man, a young candidate, to come and seek me out and to ensure that wasn’t how he felt. I’m very proud of him. I think he ran an exceptional race. He made me work exceptionally hard. So in my mind, I think we’re both winners.

McDaniels will begin his first term on the council in November, along with newly elected Mayor Billy Rosener and council members Cathy Hammann, Andy Healy, Dennis Wilson and Brooke Dodson.

“Citizens made the difference in this race,” McDaniels said. “They learned who I was, or they know who I was and came to vote with that in mind. I want to continue to earn their trust. I want to have, from a policy perspective, some really good things to let them know their finances are in good hands.”