WINFIELD, MO (FOX2now.com)—
Inside the Winfield board chambers sit an empty seat and a lonely gavel. They used to be filled and held by Mayor Harry Stonebraker until the 69-year-old died of a heart attack a month ago."This room we are standing in city hall itself was Harry's vision," says Acting Mayor Larry Cudney, "and he did it."
Stonebreaker did so much more for this town. He got a grocery store, banks and most importantly people to believe in Winfield.
"He was right there doing all he could to protect the town."
No more so than when the Mississippi made a mess of the eastern part of town. A soft spoken leader was there while thousands filled sandbags to save his town and there when dozens needed a shoulder when those sandbags couldn't hold the river back.
"He was such a wonderful mayor," says supporter Sandra Schulte, "he took the community on his heart when he made his decisions."
Which is why his decision to seek a fourth term was welcomed by many but a month shy of the election, the seat he wanted to keep filled was suddenly empty. Harry was gone but his name remained on the ballot and so did the support for his campaign.
"People wanted him to win," says Cudney, "and I guess they showed what they wanted."
It was a landslide victory for the late mayor in Tuesday's Election. "206 to 23," tells Cudney, "it was a fitting tribute to him." "We made sure to vote to get him re-elected so he could be honored," says Schulte.
After his funeral she started canvassing for stonebreaker, a mayor who was so much more to her son. "He was also a stand in grandfather for Liam.
"They'd talk baseball eat breakfast and forged a friendship. "He would come home and say Mr. Rockbreaker had me."
While little Liam can't forget Mayor Harry, neither would most who headed to the polls on Tuesday.
"You can see by the vote the town people were all with him," and Harry Stonebreaker will always be with them.
"It was absolute it had to be done," says Schulte, "so we could keep on progressing as a city and carry him in our hearts and minds."
The Board will decide who will replace Mayor Stonebreaker even though many add few can.
