UPDATE: Peard and Hughes Win; Colter and Harvey Tie for Council Seat

In a Waukee city election campaign marked by a mayoral candidate bowing out after less than a month in the race and divisive ads for city council, tonight came another twist: a tie for a council seat

Bill Peard retained his seat as mayor of Waukee with 667 votes, while newcomer Shelly Hughes snagged one of two spots on the Waukee City Council with 515 votes. But, incumbent councilman Casey Harvey and challenger Chris Colter tied the election at 502 votes each for the second council seat.

Colter said he could hardly believe it.

"Isn't that crazy?" Colter asked. "We were all just talking about it and wondering what next steps are. We'll just have to wait and see what happens in the next few days."

The Dallas County Auditor's office said the results are still unofficial and the numbers could change pending a final count of absentee ballots. If after that Harvey and Colter are still tied, the Dallas County Board of Supervisors would decide the winner at a Nov. 15 meeting.

Another suprising twist in the election was the number of votes former mayoral challenger Daniel Pettit received. According to preliminary results, Pettit claimed 160 votes despite having withdrawn from the race on Oct. 10, just 20 days into his run. Pettit's name remained on the ballot because he withdrew after the print deadline for ballots.

"The thing is, if somebody goes on the ballot, they're likely to get 18-20 percent of the vote," said Mayor Peard. "I received 70 percent of the vote after serving 14 years. I think hard work bears results."

It was also a big night for the newly elected Hughes. After an and funded by Hubbell Realty Company raised eyebrows because Hughes spoke out against the developer last year regarding her Glynn Village neighborhood, no one was sure what effect the ad would have on her campaign.

"My jaw is still on the floor," said Hughes during a small post-election celebration. "It's been a long few months, but a good few months, and I couldn't be happier about the outcome."

Hughes said she's ready to get to work on the Waukee City Council.

"The last few weeks have been so hard because I've gotten so involved and become so much more aware of everything," she said. "I just wanted to get to it and go to work. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to run with it."