Every vote counts.

Case in point: just one vote decided the race between Kyle Duffy and Tim Valentine for an open seat on the Valmeyer Village Board last Tuesday.

Amidst heavy rain that deterred a large percentage of voters from heading to the polls, Duffy and Valentine waited for the official tally that would tell which of them had claimed the seat, which was up for grabs after board member Butch Ford decided not to seek re-election.

The friendly race between two write-in candidates was neck and neck, but at the end of the night it was Duffy who became the newest village board member in Valmeyer by a 61 to 60 count.

Duffy and Valentine campaigned alongside incumbent Valmeyer Village Board members Robert Mohr and Bruce Whipple, both of whom retained their seats.

Duffy, a young associate vice president at commercial real estate company DTZ, said his new role as board member is a way for him to continue helping residents of Valmeyer.

“I’m very passionate about the community and this was a way for me to stay involved,” the 28-year-old Duffy said.

Prior to joining the Valmeyer Village Board, Duffy served as vice president and then president of St. John’s United Church of Christ.

Despite his loss by a single vote, Valentine, who is an assistant chief with the Valmeyer Volunteer Fire Department, said the election result was far from a negative outcome.

“Friends who know both of us asked me, ‘who I do vote for?’ I just told them, ‘well, you vote for both of us,’” Valentine said. “It could have gone one way or the other but either of us would have done a good job, and I know Kyle will.”

Valentine, 38, lives in Valmeyer with his wife, Tina, and daughter, Ella. In addition to his service as a 16-year veteran of the fire department, Valentine has been with MAR Graphics for 20 years.

As far as campaigning went, both Duffy and Valentine said they relied on friends and family to help spread the word about the friendly competition for a board seat.

“A seat opened up, so there was no intention of knocking anyone out; no agenda,” Valentine said. “I’ve always been a big part of Valmeyer and everything is going well with it. The board seat was just a matter of wanting to keep it the way it is.”

Duffy shares the same sentiment, and for now he’s focusing on “getting his feet wet and learning more about the community” in order to benefit Valmeyer.