Incumbent Dick Cronin gets a congratulatory hug from Leola Hanbury after it was announced that he won the race for the mayor of Isle of Palms Tuesday evening.
Incumbent Dick Cronin gets a congratulatory hug from Leola Hanbury after it was announced that he won the race for the mayor of Isle of Palms Tuesday evening.
ISLE OF PALMS -- Mayor Dick Cronin won his first re-election bid Tuesday, turning back a challenge from former Councilman Jimmy Ward.
With all precincts reporting, Cronin had 53 percent of the votes to Ward's 47 percent, according to the unofficial final counts.
Cronin called the win an endorsement of his brief time in office and of what voters say they want out of City Hall over the next four years.
"It just means the citizens of the island think the mayor and the City Council have kept the city in good shape and will keep the city in good shape," he said.
Cronin, 64, a former member of City Council, won his seat earlier this year when he was elected to fill the unexpired term of Mike Sottile, who had won a seat in the state House.
Cronin said he didn't see any major issues immediately arising on council's agenda. Instead, he said he would continue to do steady and diligent work, "and make the city a nice place for the citizens and for the people who come visit us."
Ward had served on council earlier from 1988 to 1991 and had been chairman of the island's Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee.
He did not respond to a phone message after the results were in.
Four seats on City Council also were being determined Tuesday. The top finishers were Barbara Bergwerf, 18 percent; Marty Bettelli, 18 percent; Doug Thomas, 17 percent; Sandy Stone, 16 percent; and trailing were Ron Denton and Barb Gobien, 15 percent each.
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