Paul Bond, who won re-election as mayor of Oak Ridge North on May 4 by a vote of 146-15, said in a phone interview May 6 he is looking forward to continuing work on several ongoing projects in the city.
"For me, it is seeing the Robinson Road project [move forward] and the development of the Plaza District along with normal routine issues, [such as] drainage," Bond said. "We will be continuing to take a harder look at projects on the books."
Maintaining city streets and infrastructure in general are also an ongoing concern, he said.
Bond said given the cost of running an election—more than $18,000—he was disappointed to see the low voter turnout in the city of about 3,000 residents.
"I’m thankful for my supporters, and [re-election] does send a message that they think we’re going in the right direction," he said.
Updated 10:21 p.m., May 4
Incumbent Paul Bond won re-election for mayor of Oak Ridge North with 146 votes, or 90.68% of the votes cast in the May 4 election, according to unofficial results from Montgomery County Elections. Challenger Russell Steven Dudley received 15 votes, or 9.32% of the vote.
Bond could not immediately be reached for a comment after the results were in. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Posted 7:29 p.m., May 4
Early voting results from Montgomery County show incumbent Paul Bond in the lead in the race for mayor in Oak Ridge North against challenger Russell Steven Dudley. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
The breakdown
Bond is in the lead on election night with 65 votes, or 89.04% of the total cast in the May 4 election among early and absentee voters. Challenger Dudley received 8 votes, or 10.96% of the vote, in early voting.
The background
In a candidate profile provided to Community Impact, Dudley described himself as a former president and CEO with international diplomatic experience. Bond described himself as having experience on the city's Planning & Zoning Commission as well as its Economic Development Corporation as well as being a retired corporate accountant.
Dudley listed managing city budgets and responding to local residents' needs among his priorities for the next two years, in his candidate profile. Bond listed priorities in the coming years as the completion of the Robinson Road realignment and widening project and development of the city's Plaza District.
