The longest-tenured member of the Holmes Beach City Commission is the odd one out this year.
Commissioner Carol Soustek received the least votes of four candidates who ran in the Nov. 4 election for three available commission seats, which puts her off the dais when her term expires later this month.
The three winning candidates are newcomer Jessica Patel and incumbents Steven Oelfke and Terry Schaefer.
Out of 2,210 registered Holmes Beach voters, 947 cast ballots, resulting in a 42.85% voter turnout.
Oelfke received 753 total votes, 32.41% of the total count and more than 5% more than any other candidate. Of those votes, 496 were from ballots cast on election day and 257 were from vote-by-mail ballots.
Oelfke is a former planning commissioner who was appointed to the city commission in February. He is now set to serve his first full two-year term on the board.
Patel, the newcomer, received the second-most votes of the election with 635, or 27.34% of the total count.
She is vice president of the Anna Maria Elementary Parent Teacher Organization and will embark on her first foray into municipal government when she is sworn into office later this month.
Voters cast 427 Election Day ballots and 208 vote-by-mail ballots in support of Patel.
Schaefer is a retired bank executive and has served on the commission since 2019.
He will be sworn into his fourth two-year term on the board after receiving 498 votes, or 21.44% of the total count, including 290 on Election Day and 208 in vote-by-mail ballots.
Soustek, who has served on the board since 2014, received 437 votes — 18.81% of the total count — consisting of 247 Election Day ballots and 190 vote-by-mail ballots.
Oelfke, Patel and Schaefer will be sworn into their new terms during the next city commission meeting, at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive.
A livestream of the meeting can be viewed on the city’s website, holmesbeachfl.org.