Tim Sapp got revenge at the polling places Tuesday, reclaiming the Ward 3 City Council seat he lost to Myron Heny in 2010.

Sapp defeated Heny 227-209, a margin of 51.83 percent to 47.72 percent. There were two write-in votes.

Sapp, who served two terms representing the ward from 2001-09, will serve another four years on the council. He will be sworn in during the Jan. 5 council meeting.

“Change needed to be made, not just here but nationally, and people are realizing that,” Sapp said Tuesday night when told of the preliminary results. He led by six votes then, but his lead grew to 18 when final unofficial results were released Wednesday afternoon.

Two other councilmen were returned to office without opposition.

Ward 1 Councilman Eric Paul received 336 votes, or 97.96 percent. There were seven write-in votes.

Ward 2 Councilman John Wetzel received 521 votes or 98.38 percent. There were nine write-in votes.

Sapp said he would attempt to follow through on the issues he campaigned on. He said he would seek to reduce city spending, try to improve relations between the council and the Park County Commission — “get them working better together,” he said — and fix broken street lights on the south side of town.

“They’re all things we’re going to work to get accomplished if at all possible,” Sapp said.

His victory came after a late entry into the race. Sapp received three write-in votes in the Aug. 19 primary, which allowed him to run if he wished. After a few days, he threw his hat into the ring and decided to seek to regain the Ward 3 seat.

Heny won in 2010 in his first bid for office and sought a second term. The longtime city employee said he was proud of his continued service to his hometown.

On Wednesday morning, he said he wishes voters who were unhappy with something had contacted him. But Heny sounded upbeat during a telephone interview.

“I still have a lot of good supporters,” he said. “It’s not like I lost by 1,000 votes. That’s just the nature of politics.”

Heny said the city was in good hands.

“We have a strong council, and I’ve enjoyed the work we did together,” he said.

Heny said he has worked for the city for nearly 40 years and will now focus more on his family and private life. He noted he attended so many meetings this summer he did not go camping once.

“Probably time to back off and enjoy life a little bit,” Heny said. He said he will resign from some Wyoming Association Municipalities (WAM) committees but intends to remain on the Governor’s Citizens Advisory Committee on Solid Waste, which he chairs, and will continue to stay involved in community activities while continuing to serve as a referee as well.

Sapp offered kind words to his two-time political opponent.

“I appreciate those who voted for me, and I want to thank them for their support,” he said. “I want to wish Myron the best.”

Sapp, 61, is a machinist for Rocky Mountain Oil Field Services. He and his wife Cindy have two sons and one grandson.