WINTERSVILLE — Voters in Wintersville selected four incumbents to represent them on the village’s council.

The apparent winners of the very close race are Bob Merriman, with 588 votes, or 21.75 percent; Carmen DeStefano, with 541 votes, or 19.09 percent; Randy Spence, with 537 votes, or 19.87 percent; and Jason Mattern, with 521 votes, or 19.27 percent.

Challenger Rich Gunter received 516 votes, or 19.09 percent.

Officials with the Jefferson County Board of Elections said the results are unofficial.

In January, Merriman will be entering his fifth term and his 19th year on council.

Of his victory, he said, “I’m just glad all of the people got out to vote and I thank the voters for their trust in me.”

Looking ahead to the next term, Merriman said he will work with other village officials for improvements to local roads and other infrastructure and push for state officials to release taxes collected from marijuana dispensaries to the municipalities in which they do business.

“There’s a lot of things we can do with that money,” he said.

DeStefano, who will enter his second term, said, “I’m very appreciative of the voters’ support.”

Of the future, he said, “Wintersville has come a long way since we started, and we want to keep it moving in the right direction.”

Spence, who will enter his third term, said, “I feel good that Wintersville residents have confidence in me to continue on council.”

He said in the near future, he’s looking forward to the resurfacing of Cadiz Road and other improvements to the four-lane section of highway, noting it will be one of the biggest projects for the village in recent year.

In his 20th year on council, Mattern said, “October has been a very emotional, stressful and challenging month for me personally. My aunt passed away this month, my mother passed on Halloween night, and my brother would have turned 57 this month if he was still with us. I would not have gotten through all this without the love and support from my daughter, Jocelyn; and many, many dear friends.”

“I thank the Wintersville voters for turning out and supporting our cause to keep Wintersville moving forward. But I especially thank those who were there to support me through a very difficult October,” he said.

A total of 2,703 Wintersville voters turned out for the election, according to the Jefferson County Board of Elections.