KIRKWOOD — In the end, it was the grieving husband's decision.

Kevin Karr could let his wife run for mayor posthumously, or have her name removed from the ballot, essentially crowning her opponent.

Eight days after the attack that left Connie Karr and five others dead, the council faced a deadline. An election was less than two months away, and any changes to the ballot had to be made by Feb. 15.

In a specially called meeting, council members decided to approach Karr's husband and ask him what he wanted them to do.

Kevin Karr could not have been more emphatic, City Attorney John Hessel said. He didn't want his dead wife's name in the middle of a campaign.

Karr's death has created a heated debate centered on the upcoming city election, scheduled for April 8. A group of Karr's supporters want the council to push back the election to June 3, so that another candidate can run in her place.

At a City Council meeting Thursday night, a crowd of 270 learned the details of what led to removing Connie Karr from the ballot. Many residents were angry. Some said council members were acting in secrecy. Others complained that Karr's removal is precisely why the election should be moved back. Without Karr, there is only one mayoral candidate, Councilman Arthur McDonnell.

"The worst part about this is people are still healing, and we have to start this process," said Stephen Eagleton, who is co-chairing the group seeking to have the election postponed.

"It's very rough on everybody. A lot of people in our group who were very close to Connie Karr are having to struggle with the emotional side of that and the technical side of this."

Hessel said postponing the election was discussed but that state laws won't allow it. Neither will the city's charter, he added. County election officials have said they agree with this interpretation.

On Feb. 15 — the last day the city could legally make changes to the ballot — the surviving council members met. Hessel said he posted notice of the public meeting at City Hall on Feb. 14.

The council held two votes, Hessel explained. The first was whether to approach Kevin Karr about the issue.

It was unanimous. The council decided that Hessel, along with council members Iggy Yuan and Timothy Griffin, would meet with Karr and ask him to choose whether his wife's name should be removed from the ballot.

The council also voted on whether Karr's name would be removed even if her husband wanted it to remain. Yuan and Councilman Joseph Godi voted to remove Karr's name no matter how Karr responded. Griffin opposed the measure. McDonnell abstained.

Because there wasn't a clear majority, Hessel said, the second vote was invalid. "It was my intention not to remove her name from the ballot if Kevin Karr said no," he said.

Kevin Karr could not be reached for comment.

Connie Karr's mother said Friday that Connie Karr would have wanted her name to remain on the ballot and that Kevin Karr's wishes were contrary to those of other family members.

"We know how she felt about everything," said Bette Conroy of Park Forest, Ill., Connie Karr's mother. "I just feel someone should be able to run in her place. Now they won't be able to."

Hessel said the council wanted to avoid any extended uncertainty. If Connie Karr had won, McDonnell's supporters could have sued the city, arguing that Karr was not a legitimate candidate, Hessel said. Or, at the very least, the city would have had a vacancy in the mayor's office for several months until a special election could be held.

Eagleton's group, "Kirkwood Coming Together for a Brighter Future," is working with an attorney to negotiate with the city. The group will try to persuade city leaders that they can postpone the election, if they wish.

"The last thing we want to do is argue this before a judge," Eagleton said.

Still, Eagleton's group hasn't cited a law that would allow the election to be pushed back.

Meanwhile, bitter feelings remain among some who feel deprived of a contested mayoral race. Miguel Brinkley Sr., pastor of Kirkwood Church of God, said letting the election go forward "has stripped the people of Kirkwood their right to a choice."

Brinkley, who co-chairs the citizens group with Eagleton, urged the council Thursday night to consider an ordinance that would move back the election.

At the three-hour meeting, a resident suggested McDonnell should step down. But on Friday, McDonnell said he couldn't have his name removed even if he wanted to.

McDonnell acknowledged that he could resign after the election and run for the position again, but he said he feared that would "imperil" city business. A special election for mayor probably couldn't be held until August, he said.

"I'm not happy my comrades were killed," he said. "This set of circumstances has just placed me in the position where I'm the only one left."