Clyde voters gave Mayor Jerry Walker the thumbs-up to add four more years to the 35 he’s served on the town’s board, 11 of those as mayor. Walker, 79, won the election by a landslide, earning 110 votes to challenger Cindy Golden’s 44.
“I won by a little more than I figured, so that was good,” Walker said, crediting his experience and longevity in the community for the results.
“I think the fact that he’s older and has been a fixture in the town for longer helped him” Golden agreed.
“I’m upset but it was a good race, a good run,” she said, adding that she’s definitely thinking about running again next time.
Walker said he’s not planning to go charging into the new term with any major initiatives or plans for change. Rather, he aims to continue the steady pace he’s been maintaining for decades.
“Just like I said all along, I kind of like it (Clyde) the way it is, but we’d welcome some new business,” he said. “We’re keeping it clean and neat and maintenance work done.”
The only other contested race for Clyde’s open seats was between incumbent Frank Lay, who was appointed to fill an unexpired term earlier this year, and challenger Melanie Cochran. Lay won by a wide margin, pulling in 115 votes against Cochran’s 35.
Seats held by James Mashburn and Dann Jesse were also up for election, but no challengers filed. Only three write-in votes took away from the totals for Mashburn and Jesse.
Key issues in the race had included improving communication with the community, creating more festivals and special events, improving access to high-speed Internet and increasing opportunities for parks and recreation.
One of the main issues candidates discussed at a forum held during election season was whether the town should change its traditional meeting time of 3 p.m. Wednesdays. Some, including losing candidates Cochran and Golden, had said the meetings should be held during the evening to allow working people to attend. Lay and Jesse and agreed with that point, though Mashburn and Walker had disagreed.
Clyde results
Mayor
Jerry Walker, 110 (71 percent)
Cynthia Golden, 44 (28 percent)
Town board
Pick one
Frank Lay, 115 (77 percent)
Melanie Cochran, 35 (23 percent)
Pick two
James Mashburn, 136 (51 percent)
Dann Jesse, 126 (48 percent)