Michelle Derusseau

Republican Michelle Derusseau claimed victory Tuesday night over Democrat Bassem Chahine, taking the 3rd District Douglas County Commission seat.

In the contest between political newcomers, Derusseau won by an unofficial count of 9,223 to 8,563. In doing so, she turned around a more than 500 vote advantage that Chahine held in advance voting totals.

Derusseau was the first person to announce for any County Commission race, entering the 3rd District race when incumbent Republican Jim Flory announced in January that he would not seek a third term. Since that time, Derusseau has prepared for the position by attending all County Commission meetings and those of the district’s township boards.

Derusseau said the contest was closer than she expected. What made the difference was the contacts she made through visiting the township boards and going door to door, she said.

“I think that paid off,” she said. “My goal was to show them I was ready to serve. I hope that message got through.”

Incumbent Douglas County Commissioner Nancy Thellman, right, and County Commission candidate Michelle Derusseau greet each other at the Douglas County Courthouse during vote tabulation on Tuesday night, Nov. 8, 2016.

Derusseau said she knew there would still be a learning curve when she takes her County Commission seat, but she now has an understanding of the County Commission’s processes and had met all county department heads and those who head the outside agencies that the county supports.

“I’ll lean on Commissioner Flory the next two months and the other two commissioners (Mike Gaughan and Nancy Thellman) to help get my feet on the ground,” she said.

Chahine, who found motivation to run from Bernie Sanders’ campaign for the Democratic nomination for president, congratulated Derusseau, while taking pride in his first political campaign.

“I’m glad if I lost it was to Michelle,” he said. “I appreciate her professionalism. I’m proud we never attacked each other personally. She ran a very professional campaign.”

He said he would take time to regroup before considering another political campaign.

“The Lawrence City Commission is something that does interest me, too,” he said. “We’ll see what happens next year.”