The Town of Livingston will have a woman leading them into the future after nearly half of the voters who turned out on Tuesday cast a ballot for Lori Elder Burnett. All results are considered unofficial until they are certified by the Overton County Election Commission.
Mayor Curtis Hayes announced his retirement after serving nearly two decades as leader of the city, leaving the ballot open to a slate of new faces.
Burnett joined Nathan Carr, Nathan Dale and Robert (Bert) Jolley on the Tuesday, June 4, municipal ballot.
Burnett picked up 48.28 percent of the 814 total votes cast for mayor, while Nathan Dale earned 29.73 percent of the votes. She will not only lead Livingston as mayor, she will become the city manager as well.
“We did it, Livingston! I am deeply honored and grateful to announce that we have won the election for Mayor of Livingston. This victory is not mine alone; it belongs to each one of you who believed in our vision and supported our campaign. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for trusting me with this immense responsibility,” Burnett noted on her social media campaign page on Facebook.
“As we prepare to move forward, I promise to lead with integrity, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to our community. Together, we will tackle the challenges ahead and build a brighter future for all of Livingston. Thank you for making this possible and thank you to all the other candidates who ran a clean race,” she added.
Community members cast 1,844 votes for the three city aldermen positions on the ballot. Incumbent Rex Dale secured his seat for another four years after garnering 29.77 percent of the votes. Following closely behind Dale was Lance Ruble, who garnered 27.82 percent of the votes cast. Arno Proctor will also hold a seat on the board of aldermen after gaining 21.48 percent of the votes cast. The fourth candidate, Jeramie Reeder, saw 20.66 percent of the votes.
Current aldermen Bruce Elder, Bill Linder and David Langford will be up for re-election in two years.
The Overton County Election Commission will meet on Friday, June 7, at 11 a.m. at the Election Commission Office. The purpose of the meeting will be to count the provisional ballots from the Town of Livingston municipal election on June 4, 2024.
The Overton County Election Commission will meet again on Thursday, June 13, at 1 p.m. at the Election Commission Office. The purpose of the meeting will be the certification of the results of the June 4, 2024 Town of Livingston Election.
Pick up a copy of next week’s edition of The Enterprise for more election coverage.
