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In Tuesday’s election, voters in Oakboro elected a new mayor, one whom has served for more than three decades with the town’s fire department.

Rodney Eury won election with 810 votes (59.65%) while incumbent mayor Chris Huneycutt received 522 votes (38.44%). A total of 26 write-in votes were also cast.

Eury, who has been the fire chief for the Oakboro Fire and Rescue Department for 14 years, said of being elected, “I think people have confidence in me because of what I’ve done with the fire department.”

The chief said he hopes to be “a voice of reason.”

“I’m not going to have a vote, but I’m going to have a voice, and I plan on using that.”

In terms of moving forward for the town, Eury said having a police department again in Oakboro is “something that we need to get fixed and get back even better than it was before.”

He also noted the needs for improved water and sewer infrastructure as being a focus.

“I hope I can lead the town in the right direction. I hope I can provide more structure at our council meetings.”

Eury said he realized the amount of public speaking a mayor is expected to do, adding, “if I’m speaking on something I’m confident in, that I know, I’m never nervous.”

In 2011, Eury won election to the Oakboro Town Commission and served a four-year term.

This week in a phone interview, Huneycutt said he had reached out to Eury by phone to congratulate him.

“I’m very happy for him. The people have spoken, and what I want for Oakboro is the best,” Huneycutt said. “I hope he will be able to do that, and then the people will be happy.”

Huneycutt said of his 12 years of serving on the town commission and later as mayor, “I feel like I’ve done a lot of good things in that time. People that know me know the kind of person I am.”

He said he loved the Oakboro community, saying he was taking a break but he felt like he would run again for public office in the future.