MARIETTA - Three new faces will join Marietta's school board after Tuesday election, which was marked mainly by low turnout.

Ward 1

Commodities trader Logan Weber garnered 99 votes (59 percent) over businessman Bobby Thanepohn's 68 votes (41 percent). Incumbent Walter Scott Allen did not seek re-election. With one write-in vote, 168 ballots were cast in Ward 1, which has 2,710 registered voters. That translates into turnout of 6 percent.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to get to represent Ward 1," said Weber, 31. "Ward 1 is ready to move forward and stop being marginalized."

Weber said he believed his long history in Marietta and education in child development from the University of Georgia, as well as his business experience, factored into his win.

He said his business background as a commodities trader for Grove Services gives him the financial experience needed to deal with the budget reduction that the board will be faced with when making important decisions.

Weber celebrated his election on Tuesday with his family at his parents' home. He is married to Kate and has an eight-month-old daughter.

Thanepohn, 46, an internet professional for CryoLife bioscience firm in Kennesaw, said he may run for office again someday.

"I'm sorry I lost, but I'm glad the ward had two candidates running for the seat, for the first time in history," Thanepohn said.

Ward 5

Political newcomer and businessman Stuart Fleming defeated Doug Martin, a former Marietta Schools janitor, in the race to replace veteran school board member Jeanie Carter on the Marietta City School Board. Carter did not seek re-election.

Fleming won 263 votes (59 percent) to Martin's 186 votes (41 percent). Turnout in the ward of 3,603 registered voters was 12 percent.

"I couldn't be more pleased and grateful for the support I received," Fleming, 32, said after celebrating with supporters at Cole Street Baptist Church in Marietta.

Fleming said he won due to the amount of hard work he put into campaigning.

"I realized we had to out-work the competition," he said. "We set a better vision for where we want to take schools now and into the future."

Martin - who is unemployed - was plagued during the later stage of the campaign by news that he owed thousands of dollars in child support.

Fleming declined to comment on whether his opponent's personal problems factored into the results.

"I think the vote sent a very clear message that (voters) want the best education system, and someone who can collaborate on the board," said Fleming, who works in strategy and operations for Coca-Cola Enterprises.

He graduated in 1996 from the Walker School, and is a 2000 graduate of the Air Force Academy. He earned a master's degree in philosophy and international relations from Cambridge University in 2003. He and his wife, Kim, are expecting a daughter.

Martin, a Marietta native, said shortly after conceding defeat that he was not disappointed in the results.

"I knew whatever would happen would be the will of God," Martin, 56, said.

Martin said he would consider running for office again, but added that there was a lot of apathy among voters in Ward 5.

Ward 6

Businessman Tom Cheater won out against businesswoman Michelle Cooper Kelly for the Ward 6 seat on the Marietta City School Board. He will replace Tom Smith, who did not seek re-election.

Cheater earned 216 votes (55.5 percent) to Kelly's 173 votes (44.5 percent). Ward 6 has 4,871 registered voters, which put the turnout at only eight percent.

Cheater said his win signified a desire to change the district's reputation. He said he wants Marietta City Schools to emulate the great reputation that east Cobb schools have.

"Everyone I've spoken to is really concerned about the perception of Marietta City Schools," said Cheater, 49. "I want us to be the first choice in schools in Georgia."

Cheater said he owes his victory to taking tangible positions during the campaign that voters could sink their teeth into. "I was trying to get on issues that were very important to Marietta City Schools," he said.

One of those issues was to expand the performing arts program in Marietta schools. During the campaign, he said such programs tend to drop off in middle high schools.

He also said attracting more students to Marietta schools is key to the district surviving the present economy in good shape. His solution is to work with city leaders to improve Marietta and develop it into a place where people work, locate their business, and enroll their children in school.

On Tuesday, Cheater called for school board members to "get out from behind their desks and go into the community."

Cheater works as a general manager of British Telecom Global Services. He and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of twins Nicholas and Jordan, 11, who attend Marietta Sixth Grade Academy. He graduated from Springfield High School in Philadelphia and from the University of Pittsburgh in 1982. He also attended Widener University in Chester, Pa.

His opponent, Kelly, is a senior manager at Anheuser-Busch.

"It was a tough race and I think Tom Cheater will do a good job," said Kelly, 38. A first time public office seeker, Kelly said she doubted if she would run for office again. However, she said she will continue to be active at Sawyer Road Elementary School, which one of her three children attends.