Buchanan City Commission adds two new members

Published 4:42 pm Wednesday, November 4, 2020

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BUCHANAN — The Buchanan City Commission has added two new members to its ranks.

Patrick Swem and Larry Money were elected to the city commission, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s election.

The two candidates will take the seats vacated by outgoing Buchanan mayor Patricia Moore and mayor pro-tem Dale Toerne, and join incumbents Mark Weeden, Cameron Downey and Sean Denison on the commission.

Swem led all vote-getters with 969 votes, while Money was second with 833. Daniel Vigansky finished with 453 votes and Monroe Lemay with 418, while Jeccika Yoder tallied 237.

“I was very happy to see the overwhelming count in my favor this morning,” Swem said. “A lot of believers. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with commissioners Weeden, Money, Downey and Denison. City manager Heather Grace is going to bring new ideas to the table. Hopefully the people of Buchanan are patient with us as we put together a plan that’s best for the city.”

Swem, who works in the financial sector, was encouraged by his peers to pursue a seat on the city commission.

“With my job, I interact with local leaders in Buchanan,” Swem said. “They saw potential in me and wanted me to take on an active leadership role in the community. This is a great opportunity to make positive changes.”

With the election out of the way, Swem looks forward to helping the city commission build on what they already have while creating placemaking opportunities for the community.

“Placemaking creates areas that drive people to your community,” Swem said. “We need to keep people spending dollars in the community, and we need to create opportunities that make people want to stay in the community.”

Money could not be reached for comment as of press time.