WATERLOO - Casey McLaughlin came out on top of a crowded field of candidates Tuesday to win a seat on Hawkeye Community College's board of trustees.

Five people were contending for the board's Director District 6 seat, which represents a western portion of Waterloo. Longtime incumbent Harold Brock did not run again since he plans on moving out of the district this month.

McLaughlin received about 46 percent of the vote, more than twice as much as nearest competitor John Hawse, an 85-year-old retired HCC president. Of 1,287 votes cast, 588 were for McLaughlin, according to unofficial results from the Black Hawk County elections office.

The third-place candidate was John Speas, 42, a vice president at Community National Bank, followed by Keith Clark, 52, an Allen College administrative assistant, and Darwin Lies, 53, a county equipment operator.

"I'm very pleased with the turnout," said McLaughlin, 48, shortly after results were released. "I'm very happy with the confidence folks have placed in me, and hopefully I'll be able to respond to that."

Two incumbents were also re-elected to the board after facing no opponents. Ron McGregor, 77, of rural Nashua, has held the Director District 1 seat since 1999. Retired teacher Ruth Niemann of Denver has held the Director District 2 seat since 1991.

McLaughlin ran what he described as a "low-key" campaign. While he discussed his candidacy individually with people, there was no knocking on doors, phone calling or seeking endorsements.

"I think it really comes down to I'm a lifelong resident of Waterloo, so name recognition probably helped." He also pointed to his business, McLaughlin Investment Services, and community involvement from church to the Scouts.

"I'm excited," he added. "I've talked to (HCC President) Greg Schmitz and I've talked to (board chairman) Mark Birdnow. I look forward to getting started."

McLaughlin is focused on three areas as he prepares to take the position.

One is the arts and sciences students that make up 50 percent of the college's students. Typically, they transfer to a four-year institution to complete their education.

"I think that's a very important population that we have to work with," he said.

Another is the needs of the business community and how the college helps it through work force development efforts.

"It is an issue and it's going to become more of an issue coming down the line," he said.

The third area is senior citizens. McLaughlin said college training programs can provide new opportunities to keep them active.

"I see Hawkeye can kind of fill that need as well," he said.

Contact Andrew Wind at (319) 291-1507 or andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com.

Here are the results from the Hawkeye Community College board of trustees election Tuesday. The top vote-getter is in bold.

Candidates Votes Percent

Director District 1

Ron McGregor 553 99.28

Write-in votes 4 0.72

Director District 2

Ruth Niemann 406 98.78

Write-in votes 5 1.22

Director District 6

Keith Clark 142 11.03

John Hawse 266 20.67

Darwin Lies 77 5.98

Casey McLaughlin 588 45.69

John Speas 202 15.70

Write-in votes 12 0.93