FRUITLAND, Iowa — “Things are going to be very different at Council meetings.”

Fruitland’s newly elected mayor, DeWayne Walter, summed up the results of Tuesday’s voting, citing the election of two first-time city council members, along with the loss of a 20-year veteran of the city council.

“It was an antsy day,” Walter said excitedly as he learned that he had come out ahead of his opponent, Jerry Miller, 138 to 108.

Miller and Walter announced they would run earlier this year, around the same time Mayor Bill Brockert announced that he planned to step down.

“I’ve stayed here all of my life because I like the small community and knowing almost all of my neighbors,” said Walter, a father and 15-year employee at Allsteel.

Newcomers Perry Anderson and Scott Wilson received 160 and 181 votes, respectively, and Rick Honts, who is currently finishing up a term for a council member who resigned, received 140 votes.

Other council candidates who did not get a seat included Ryan Hoeg, who got 52 votes, and Judy Knouse, who has served on the Council since 1986, received 113 votes.

“Honts has been on before but Anderson and Wilson will definitely be bringing new ideas and have to get to know the process,” said Walter.

Some of the things Walter will have to look forward to right away include balancing the budget, fielding concerns from the public and disaster planning.

“It’s not just the City of Fruitland that has budget issues, it’s the economy these days, and lots of cities have this problem,” Brockert said.

Also on the to-do list is a mitigation plan for Fruitland for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The plan is a requirement by FEMA in case storms, floods or other disasters strike the town. Such plans will likely be of great interest to Fruitland residents, whose town was devastated by a tornado in June 2007.

“We have to have a plan on file in case FEMA comes in and asks for it,” Brockert said.

Also, Walter will have to designate someone to attend Solid Waste Management meetings and follow through with the ongoing certification of the Mississippi River levee near Fruitland, which is also a precautionary requirement for FEMA.

Walter commended Brockert for doing a great job in his 15-year tenure.

Brockert said he’s enjoyed being mayor and that the best advice he has for any new mayor is to be himself.

“No matter what, I was always myself and I think the public appreciates that,” Brockert said.