Incumbent Henry N. Vaughn, Sr. claimed victory against Margareta Ann Moore in the Democratic Primary for Ward 7 on Tuesday and will now face off against Republican candidate Roben Dawkins in the June 6 General Election.
Unofficial results say Vaughn won the election by 65 percent of the vote in Ward 7. In all, 394 votes were cast.
After the final votes were tallied, Vaughn said he believed he has done a good job so far, then said his reaction to the victory underscored the need to focus harder in the General Election.
"I have to get out and play a better ball game," Vaughn said. "I want to accomplish one thing - I want to gain trust in the people’s eyes, but most of all, I trust in God."
Republican and MSU senior pilot Roben Dawkins did not face opposition in the primary.
Dawkins said he believes Ward 7 has been overlooked in the last eight years and, if elected, he hopes to be able to change that.
"I look forward to taking on Mr. Vaughn," Dawkins said. "He has been in office for eight years and I think I can do a better job, with the education and experience I have, in representing the residents of Ward 7."
Following her defeat in the primary, Moore said she has a positive outlook going forward and will continue going to work every day in the health care field.
"I did better than I thought," Moore said. "Our alderman was too slack in his work, and when he saw that someone was running against him, it seemed like he started doing work."
Moore said she had hoped giving Vaughn more competition would encourage him to make more improvements to Ward 7. Since she began running against him, she said she has seen better speed bumps installed and sidewalks being put down.
Moore said she hasn't given thought to whether she would want to delve back into the world of politics again.
Having first been elected as Ward 7 Alderman in 2009, Vaughn will be running for his third consecutive term in the June 6 General Election.