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   The City of Alton will soon have a new mayor after an improbable election result was certified Tuesday.  

   Businessman Brant Walker had been removed from the ballot two months before the election because of a technicality.  He ran as a write-in candidate against incumbent Mayor Tom Hoechst, and won.  

   Election results certified yesterday by Madison County Clerk Debra Ming-Mendoza show that Walker beat Hoechst by just over two-percent, or 74 votes.  

   Hoechst released a statement saying that he planned to challenge the results, but won't wait for the process to be complete before he begins working with Walker to ensure a smooth transition should the results hold.

Both of the front-runners in St. Louis' mayoral race are stepping up their efforts in the final days before Tuesday's Democratic primary. Both candidates, Mayor Francis Slay and Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, spent Saturday talking to voters at coffee shops and churches. Crime and jobs continue to be central to both campaigns.

Reed says not enough progress has been made on the tough issues faced by city residents. "I'm knocking on doors because our crime rate is too high," Reed hammered, "and the job creation is too low."

Slay, who's running for a record fourth term in office, spent much of his time talking about his accomplishments as mayor. "In a tough economy, we've seen over six-billion dollars of new investment and development," Slay said. "We've seen crime drop...it's the lowest crime rate we've seen in the city since 1972."

There was also talk of how campaign funds on both sides were handled.

The Democratic Primary is expected to decide the race for Mayor of St. Louis.