Lisa Meyer was elected to the Columbia City Council’s second ward position on Tuesday. She beat candidate Robert Schreiber III by about 400 votes, making it one of the closer races of the night.
The Meyer campaign hosted a watch party at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Columbia. Following the victory, Meyer embraced her husband, Jim Meyer, as supporters cheered. Jim Meyer previously ran for the position in 2020 and lost.
Meyer’s campaign centered around three key issues: health and well-being, safety and infrastructure. In regards to safety, Meyer expressed support of the Columbia Police Department and first responders.
“Our goals are going to be to make our community safer, our streets better and our community healthier,” Meyer said. “We cannot do that without each other.”
Larry Bossaller, a supporter of Meyer’s campaign, moved to Columbia from Kansas City in 1966, and she said that’s because of safety concerns in the area.
“We need to have the proper law enforcement … not just to react to crime but to try to protect us in preventing crime,” Bossaller said. “Lisa is big on safety.”
Schreiber III held a watch party at the Boone County Democratic Party Headquarters. His campaign focused on addressing issues surrounding homelessness, such as affordable housing and public transportation.
“It wasn’t the voters’ will I guess,” Schreiber III said. “You can do what you can do, and then once you’ve knocked on doors on that last day, like I did yesterday, it’s up to the people.”
With supporters watching, Lisa Meyer gave a speech to the room. She called on Ward 2 residents to raise their hands and show pride in the victory.
“I knew that we worked really hard, and I came in with a sense of peace that no matter what the result was that we did our very best,” Meyer said after her speech.
Meyer will officially be sworn into office April 11. Her first meeting as a council member will be April 15.
