Berry is Marion's new mayor

Willie Windon, right, readies a voting machine Tuesday in the Marion Fire Station 1 in Marion. City residents cast their votes to choose a new mayor and council member.

By: | SCNow
Published: April 15, 2009

Rodney Berry is the new Mayor of Marion. Contender Nancy Harrelson conceded the race to Berry Tuesday night before all the votes could be counted, but when the votes were tallied, Berry won the election, 1,330 to 616 votes.

Berry was leading by 619 votes when Harrleson conceded, though numbers from the remaining precincts had yet to be tallied.

“We can congratulate Rodney ... and wish him the best and know he’ll give us good service,” Harrelson said. When asked if she was lodging a complaint about the election process amidst talk about the buying of votes, Harrelson said, “We’ll see within 48 hours.”

According to Marion County Election Commission Chairman Robert Harrelson, candidates have 48 hours after the polls close, or until 7 p.m. Thursday, to lodge a protest about the election.

At 8:30 a.m. Friday, the commission will hold its hearing to determine the validity of all ballots challenged and validate the elections.

Berry, Marion County’s Economic Development director and two-time candidate for Marion mayor, was a write-in candidate.

At the time of his death in March, Mayor Bobby Gerald was seeking his seventh term. He served as mayor for 24 years. Harrelson was the only other declared candidate for the position of mayor.

Berry said Gerald’s death changed things in Marion, and he felt that although he had lost to Gerald twice before — in 2005 by 160 votes and in 2001 by 60 votes — he should declare himself a write-in candidate.

Berry said he was approached by citizens who knew of his past interest in serving and that he and his wife, Melia, decided he should run for the city’s top seat. A Marion businessman, Berry originally is from Dillon.

He said county officials told him there would be no conflict between his elected position as a city leader and his job with the county.

In other election news, Betsy Bryant Atkinson upset incumbent Ronald Davis to lay claim to the Marion City Council’s District 3 seat. With all precincts reporting, Atkinson had 199 votes to Davis’ 189.

Seats held by Poiette McGill-Bromell and Michael Baker, districts 5 and 6, respectively, are uncontested.

Of the 4,692 registerd voters in the City of Marion, election commission officials reported, 2,023 voted.