Was the Ward III April election ‘seedy?

As the Ole Seagull understands the definition of “seedy,” absolutely! Even though it’s only one man’s opinion, Webster defines “seedy” as “not respectable or decent; dishonest.” To an Ole Seagull, that perfectly describes what happened in Ward III during the April 2026 election.

It’s about how, in an Ole Seagull’s opinion, one of the finest Aldermen ever to sit on the Branson Board of Aldermen (the “Board”), Ralph LeBlanc, was “swept” out of office. One who, not a few months before, had been praised for his out-of-the-box thinking that saved the city millions of dollars and his job performance.

In his place, a power group put forward its candidate: a newcomer who, by her own admission, has much to learn.

“Seagull, you’re not talking about the fact that developers and real estate brokers contributed thousands of dollars to her campaign, are you?” No political contributions by developers or real estate brokers are an integral part of any election. It’s just good PR.

Beyond that, during the election process, people donate to campaigns and work for campaigns they want to succeed. Do they have a personal interest? In many cases, yes; particularly so in this case, but that’s the way the political process works.

“Seagull, what do you mean ‘particularly in this case?’” An analysis of Harkness financial supporters could cause a reasonable person to believe that some of that support is with ‘hope’ that Harkness will influence current and anticipated legal and personnel situations. “Do you think that the ‘hope’ of those contributors will be realized?” The Ole Seagull has a lot of faith in Alderman Harkness, and his prayer is that she will do what she feels is best for the city. As that develops, it will determine whether or not her financial supporters will realize their ‘hopes.’

In any event, a group of developers, real estate brokers and other special interests decided they wanted to take control of the Board, and they did just that efficiently. Nothing new to that. That’s been done time and time again over the past three decades. It’s part of the political process.

What’s seedy in this case is not in what was done but in how it was done.

First, two incumbent aldermen campaigned against LeBlanc. They wanted to get a third member of the Board in their voting bloc. That’s reason enough and fair, but the personal attack on LeBlanc by Lucas was baseless and neither respectful nor decent. Among other things, Lucas said, “He’s a great guy in front of the cameras and when he speaks from the dias; but, behind closed doors that is not the case.”

"Is Lucas the same alderman who turned his back on you as you were speaking during the Public Comments at Board meetings? The one who, immediately after praying about Christian love and comportment during the meeting, stood up and left the dais when you came up to speak, causing the meeting to be delayed for 20 minutes until he could be talked into coming back out and performing his duties?” That’s the one.

Historically, the space immediately outside the election parameters near the entrance to the polling place is occupied by candidates making a last-ditch effort as people enter the polls. In all the past elections he has witnessed, not one candidate ever took up all of the space, not in this election. The Harkness block showed up and blocked off the whole sidewalk, forcing Alderman LeBlanc and his supporters to set up in the parking lot.

But one of the best illustrations of the seediness involved in the Harkness campaign was the appearance of a “booth” where people could sign a petition demanding an audit of the city’s finances. The perception they were trying to create was as obvious as the fact that there were no similar booths at Wards I and II, just Ward III. It’s also worth noting that in a recent interview last week, Allison Ramsey, the city’s Finance Director, said no one requested an audit before Election Day and that no petition requesting an audit has been submitted since Election Day.

In the Ole Seagull’s opinion, Harkness’s election handlers conducted one of the most efficient, well-financed, and “seedy” election campaigns he has ever witnessed. It has established, he fears, a paradigm for what to expect in next year’s mayoral and aldermanic elections.