Dustin Smith bested Jon Conlon by a narrow 157-vote margin to win the Tuesday special election to fill a Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools board seat.

Smith, chief human resources officer at The Arc Minnesota, a nonprofit that provides resources to people with intellectual and physical disabilities as well as their families, tallied 4,977 votes to 4,820 for Conlon, chief financial officer and founder of WAEV, a low-speed electric vehicle manufacturer, according to unofficial results from the Minnesota secretary of state’s office. Smith will fill the seat left vacant by former board member Enrique Velazquez’s 2024 resignation.

Vote totals must be canvassed in the coming weeks before the election is officially certified.

Smith told the Prior Lake News Compass he was at a loss of words over the victory. He said he was somewhat surprised at the outcome given voters rejected a school levy in 2024.

“I wasn’t sure that the support would be there,” Smith said shortly after unofficial vote totals were reported Tuesday night. “Also, nobody knew who I was before I started this campaign. And now there’s over 500 people who have donated, volunteered, put up a yard sign, shared information or put up support one way or another.”

He said he was ready to start working in earnest with teachers, administrators and board directors to provide more transparency and understanding about the school district, including the current fiscal situation.

“It seems like there’s just been a tendency to want to re-litigate things or approach the district with mistrust,” Smith said. “I want to work together with the district in good faith – ask tough questions, sure – but work to understand instead of attempting to prove them wrong.”

Conlon did not respond to a phone call requesting comment.

Seth Richardson is the Prior Lake News Compass interim editor.