Darwin Sharp, who was elected Mayor of Franklinton on Tuesday, said he is deeply grateful to the town's voters for their confidence in him.
He defeated incumbent Mayor Greg Route by 11 votes. Sharp received 741 votes and Route received 730 votes.
The voting machines used in Tuesday's election were officially opened and checked Friday at noon in the presence of Route and Sharp. Also present were representatives of the Washington Parish Clerk of Court's office. Washington Parish Registrar of Voters Randy Strickland was also present,
Sharp said, "I want to thank the citizens of the Town of Franklinton for giving me the opportunity to serve as your next mayor. I will work with the aldermen to accomplish the things that I said I would do."
He added, "I plan to make improvements in all areas of town government to make Franklinton a better place to live and raise families. We must work as a team made up of elected officials, business owners, and citizens in order to have continued growth and make plans for a better future. Tomorrow may never get here, but we must always prepare for it."
Sharp also addressed recent concerns about issues with the payroll deductions of town employees.
He said, "I will work with the board of aldermen to select an independent payroll processor for the Town of Franklinton. I believe this will be in the best interests of all of the town employees as payroll processing has continued to get more and more complicated through the years."
Sharp is expected to officially become Mayor of Franklinton in January. He will be joined by 5 town aldermen, who will be elected on December 7, with a possible run-off being held on January 11, if needed. The election for aldermen was pushed back following the October death of candidate Frankie Crosby. State law requires elections to be re-opened for new candidates if a candidate dies close to the date of the election. The election for Franklinton aldermen was re-opened for candidates. Ten candidates are now seeking the 5 available seats.
