Eric Gregg is next Harrisburg mayor; Rocky James will serve again in Eldorado
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Eric Gregg emerged victorious from a five-way field to become Harrisburg's next mayor. Rocky James handily won another term as Eldorado's mayor.
Gregg got 46 percent of the vote in a five-way field, with 856 votes. Taking second was former mayor Ron Morse, with 437 votes. David Taylor, a former councilman, took 389 votes. Rounding out the field were Teddy Ray Price and Bud Flynn, with 168 and 18 votes respectively.
The current mayor, Valerie Rose Mitchell, did not seek a second term.
In Eldorado, James trounced Sarah Cummins, 782 to 301, to win another term as mayor. James won handily over Cummins both in absentee ballots and at the polls Tuesday. The combined total of early and absentee votes for James was 377, while Cummins received 102. The election day totals were 405 to 199.
Gregg said he ran a positive race and worked very hard to put together his election victory.
"This is months of walking, getting out and shaking hands and working an election the old-fashioned way," Gregg said.
Gregg expressed optimism about the makeup of the new council.
"It looks like we're going to have a good council and we can work together," Gregg said.
Gregg talked about economic development during his campaign and now hopes to make the local economy his top priority, he said.
A goal he hopes to meet early is, "Getting the boards off those theaters,"
Gregg said, referring to the movie theaters shuttered late last year after decades in business.
Gregg wants to form a group of "forward thinkers" to serve as an economic development panel.
Gregg also wants to make getting the budget as low as possible an early priority. Fiscal responsibility will require cooperation from everyone, including the mayor, city council, employees and different groups in the community, Gregg said.
Gregg praised the men in the race with him and said he wouldn't hesitate to call on Morse or Taylor due to their experience in city government. Harrisburg residents ought to feel good about having such quality candidates to choose from, Gregg said.
"I'm excited. It's gong to be fun, but it will be a challenge," Gregg said about the next four years.
Morse, who congratulated Gregg at the Courthouse and stayed to chat a few minutes, agreed the race had good candidates. Low turnout - a recurring theme among candidates throughout the night - played a factor in the race, Morse said.
Morse pointed out he is about to retire from his full-time job at the state Environmental Protection Agency, so losing this election won't make him or break him.
"I'm not killed and I'm not broken-hearted and I can live through this," Morse said.
Morse was defeated four years ago in his re-election bid by Mitchell.