Tim Dixon was elected to the Holbrook City Council by a wide margin during the city’s general election Tuesday, according to unofficial results.
Dixon received 292 votes while David Newlin received 120. City Clerk Cher Millage noted that a total of 415 votes were cast in the election, 17 were rejected and, as of press time, 20 were awaiting verification.
The city council will be asked to canvass the vote and make the results official at the next regular meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26, at city hall. Once the results are verified by the council, Dixon is expected to be sworn immediately into office along with Francie Payne and C.J. Wischmann, who were elected outright during the primary election. Bobby Tyler, who currently serves as a councilman will be sworn in as mayor. A new vice mayor will be elected by the council after the new members are seated.
New council members will be asked to begin making major decisions right away as the council is working to finalize the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins in July. City Manager Ray Alley has already invited the newly elected officials to give input on the budget process and to tour city departments. Tyler has been busy representing the city as mayor-elect, attending government meetings that potentially affect the city and serving as a representative of the city at community events.
Dixon, Payne and Wischmann will be filling the seats left vacant by current council members Charles Haussman, Phil Cobb and Tyler. Haussman and Cobb did not seek re-election. Mayor Jeff Hill also decided not to seek re-election.
While Dixon and Newlin faced off in the general election, Wischmann and Payne received the required 50 percent of the votes cast plus one in order to be elected outright during the March primary election. Wischmann received a total of 319 of the 534 votes cast, while Payne, a write-in candidate, received 275. Dixon, who was also a write-in, and Newlin were the next two top vote-getters and so faced off in the general election, while write-in candidate Earl Kester Sr. received the fewest votes and was eliminated from the race.
Voters also approved a home rule provision during the primary election that allows the city to set its own expenditure limit rather than being restricted to amounts set by the state. The additional expenditures will allow the city to complete road maintenance and repair work, as well as other projects such as the splash pad park and improvements to the golf course.
