OAKLAND, TN - More than a year after voters went to the polls, an election is thrown out. The City of Oakland will have to hold another mayoral election. The original votes were ruled void by a judge in Fayette County Wednesday.
Incumbent Mayor Bill Mullins won the election in November of 2008 by just 15 votes. Runner-up Scott Ferguson sued the election commission. He said people voted who shouldn't have. Wednesday, a judge agreed.
"I'm very pleased with the judge's decision to void the election,” Ferguson said. “I think Oakland deserves this."
After losing by 15 votes to incumbent Bill Mullins, Scott Ferguson found 23 voters who live outside the city limits.
Wednesday, lawyers for the election commission argued there was no way to determine how those voters voted and if they actually voted in the mayor's race.
Still, the judge ruled to void the election.
"It's a travesty,” said Tracy Leaks who lives nearby. “I can't imagine how the citizens are feeling and how he's feeling. It's like they have to do a total re-do and start from scratch."
A re-do of an election that costs a fortune already. Mayor Mullins sent a letter in October saying the election challenge cost the city nearly $90,000 so far. To counter that, he doubled sewer fees and blamed it on those taking the city to court.
Ferguson knows he will have to explain himself to voters.
"We've been a debt-free town for some time,” Ferguson said. “But now that status has changed, and there are a lot of variables in place as a result of that and we're going to address that. We're going to address the budget and that's been the issue all along."
Now people will head back to the polls, but it's at a big price.
"Waste of money. Waste of time. It's politics at it's worst," said Oakland resident L. R. Cunningham.
Some who live in Oakland, like Chris Treat, say they saw this coming.
"I'm not surprised,” Treat said. “Since I've lived in this community, there's been a lot of conflict, a lot of rumors."
Treat says this election re-do shows just how big the divide is in this town. He says there are those who want to keep the status quo and those who want to plan for the future.
"At this point,” Treat said. “The community's gotten so much bigger, we have to make a decision. We have to move forward with good leadership."
"It seems like they need to be doing something right,” said Haley Parker, who lives nearby. “If it calls for an election, then that's what they should have."
Chris Treat says, when it comes time to cast another ballot...
"I'll vote. I'll definitely vote,” Treat said. “Hopefully there'll be a good candidate."
No date yet on when the special election will be held. The election commission will determine who is eligible to run. There were three candidates in the original election. The third place candidate said he wouldn't run in a special election.
