Nov 2023: On the Eve of the Mayoral Vote, a Look at Woodruff's Low Turnout and Residents' Top Issues
The 2019 mayoral race drew about 445 votes in a city of roughly 4,200, and one 2022 council race drew 20. Residents asked about 2023 priorities pointed to Main Street traffic, homelessness, the mix of businesses and infrastructure for growth.
The Woodruff Times looked at local turnout and residents' priorities on November 6, 2023, the day before the city's mayoral election, in a piece by staff writer Copeland Jacobs.
The race: The contest was a rematch between incumbent Kenneth Gist and former mayor Brad Burnett. Neither ran on a party label.
Turnout: In the 2019 mayoral election, Gist won 271 votes to Burnett's 171, with three write-ins. With a 2020 Census population of 4,212, the paper noted that under ten percent of the town decided the race. A 2022 city council election drew a total of 20 voters (16 in person and 4 by mail).
What residents raised: Asked on social media which issues mattered most, residents most often named traffic on Main Street and homelessness in town. Others raised the mix of businesses (too many bars relative to clothing and grocery stores), zoning to force junk clean-up, and infrastructure that keeps up with population growth. The piece also noted changes already on the way, including an Ingles grocery and a new medical facility.
Read the full piece at The Woodruff Times (link below).