POTSDAM — Village trustee Alexandra Jacobs Wilke easily beat back a challenge from a write-in candidate Tuesday to easily win the election for mayor.

She will replace fellow Democrat Ron Tischler, who decided not to seek re-election after serving as a trustee and mayor since 1989.

Wilke received 508 votes out of a total of 542, according to unofficial results released by the St. Lawrence County Board of Elections.

Her challenger, Joseph Bowen, ran as an independent write-in candidate so the exact number of votes cast for him will not be known until official vote counts are released later this month.

The total number of write-in votes cast for mayor Tuesday was 34, but could include other names as well.

The voting results are unofficial and do not include absentee ballots. No Republican ran for the office.

Meanwhile, political newcomers Sharon Williams and Lynne Schulte, both Democrats who were unopposed, won election to two village board seats. They will replace seats held by Wilke and Abby Lee, who decided to not seek reelection.

Wilke is SUNY Potsdam public relations director and has served as village trustee for the past four years. She previously served on the village Zoning Board of Appeals.

Said she plans to focus on building a new comprehensive plan for the municipality.

“Big picture, we need a new comprehensive plan for our community, one that is built from the ground up on a really rigorous process, based on best practices in smart growth and compact development,” Wilke said during her campaign. “This can inform an overhaul of our village code that our zoning and planning boards are already starting to work on.”

She said Downtown Revitalization Initiative projects planned with $10 million in state funding earmarked for the village will transform downtown. “Being on the project advisory committee has given me the opportunity to hear from downtown business owners and talk about the nitty gritty details about pulling these projects off,” she said.

Bowen announced his candidacy in early October and had hoped to bring new ideas on how to make Potsdam more “self-determinate” and healthy for business and residents.

Formerly of Akwesasne, he has resided at Meadow East Apartments since February. He is senior online customer service team leader for Quickbooks. A Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal member, he previously ran unsuccessfully for sub chief, chief and traffic court judge in Akwesasne.

During the campaign, he said he would bring new ideas to the table and focus on taxing local businesses fairly. He said he would set up a citizen-business council to develop strategies and solutions for the challenges facing all stakeholders within the community.

“One need only look at Market Street to see the devastating effect of Village tax and water policies on the sources of revenue that feed this Village. Today, Market Street between Elm and the bypass is a shell of what it was just 20 years ago,” Bowen said during a pre-election interview.