Trish Bennett, Editor
CIRCLEVILLE – The city of Circleville now has a two-term mayor for the first time in 32 years after incumbent Don McIlroy was re-elected to the position in Tuesday’s general election.
McIlroy, a Republican, earned 76.19 percent of the vote on Tuesday’s ballot with 2,407 votes against opponent Richard Holmes, a Democrat, who earned 23.81 percent, or 752 votes.
According to research provided by Tom Spring, council-at-large, McIlroy is the first mayor elected to a second term in the city since John Jenkins in 1983. He is also the first incumbent mayor to appear on the general election ballot in 28 years; the last incumbent was also Jenkins in 1987.
McIlroy could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Though Holmes was unsuccessful in his first bid for public office, he said he intends to remain involved in the community.
“I will still be part of the community, still help people,” Holmes said. “I will stay involved in what’s going on, and I may even consider running for council, who knows? I want to do my part and work toward getting younger people interested in voting.”
Holmes said he wishes McIlroy all the best in the next four years.
“I really hope he stays true to his word in making Circleville a better place,” Holmes said. “There is a lot of room for improvement, and hopefully he will stay on top of it.”
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
