LAMAR - Randy Reynolds defeated Jackie L. Thomas, with 192 votes to Thomas’ 141, for the Lamar mayor’s post. Voters in Lamar returned to the polls Tuesday to settle a runoff election.
In the Nov. 3 general election, Reynolds received 162 votes and Thomas got 137. The third candidate, Tom Langston, garnered 38 votes in that election.
Forty-five percent of registered voters participated in Tuesday’s election. There are 1,043 residents in Lamar with 739 registered to vote.
“I’m excited,” Reynolds said.
The Lamar native is serving his second year of his first term on town council and will step up to mayor’s post in January.
“I guess I’ve been in public service since 1991,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds worked as a police officer for the City of Darlington and then moved to the Sheriff’s Office. He started as a patrolman and worked his way up. In 1997, he served as Chief of Police in Lamar for three years.
He’s no longer an officer. He served a total of 13 years, which he said was long enough.
“I still miss it sometimes,” Reynolds said.
Growing up, his father’s long service on Town Council reinforced the idea of civic responsibility.
“I am not a politician by any stretch of the imagination,” Reynolds said. “I’ve always tried to conduct myself in a way no one has any question about my character.”
He said he was following behind a good mayor, Bobby Hudson, who has put Lamar on the right track.
“He fought for Lamar. He’d call and pester people,” Reynolds said. “That’s what a small town needs.”
He said he would remain in touch with Hudson.
“I got big shoes to fill,” Reynolds said.
He has been married to his wife Wanda for 10 years and has two children from a previous marriage who attend Lamar High School.
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