VERMILION — Vermilion voters returned two incumbents and a former incumbent to office in Tuesday’s nonpartisan City Council races.

Joe “Nick” Luby, 58, a former five-term Ward 1 councilman, lost to challenger Scott Sherwood, 42, for the Ward One seat that was vacated by John Gabriel, who opted not to seek re-election. Sherwood, a teacher with the Lorain City Schools, tallied 235 votes in unofficial returns from the Lorain County Board of Elections and 184 votes from the Erie County Board of Elections.

Luby, a general manger for a Sandusky rental firm, had 128 votes in Lorain County, and 147 in Erie County, according to unofficial returns.

The city’s only other contested ward seat was apparently won by former councilwoman Barb Brady, 61, a small business owner, who defeated incumbent Shari Haponek, 51, a dental hygienist, for the Ward Four seat, by an unofficial vote of 414 to 246.

The city’s lone at-large seat up for grabs this fall was won by former Ward Two councilwoman Heidi Strickler, who defeated incumbent at-large councilman Daniel Roth by unofficial votes of 998 to 866 in Lorain County, and 942 to 814 in Erie County. Strickler, 39, is assistant pastor of Harbourtown Community Church. Roth, 50, is a local businessman and owner of Gilchrist Guesthouse B&B and Barnacle Bill’s Surf Shop.

The post of City Council President was won by incumbent Fred Ostrander, who won election to a second term over Dan Karney. Ostrander, 59, a marketing specialist, had 964 voters to 869 for Karney in Lorain County. Unofficial numbers from Erie County gave Ostrander 1,002 votes to 723 for Karney.

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