Whitener Wins, Setser Loses, Eaton’s Out

The Election that almost wasn’t. After spoiled ballots that resulted in the Fannin County Board of Elections taking over, challenged ballots, and having to count votes from two boxes; the citizens of Blue Ridge gave Mayor Whitener not just a win – but a mandate.Mayor Donna Whitener finished Tuesday night with a strong win over challenger Michael Eaton. Whitener received 220 votes to Eaton’s 169, a difference of 51 votes. This will be Whitener’s second term. She won her first term by 30 votes. In response to her win Whitener made the following comment,

“I would like to thank everyone for all your prayers and support during my campaign. Thank you to all the residents of Blue Ridge who voted for me. I greatly appreciate all of you! I will work hard and always put Blue Ridge first. Thank you all again!!”

Eaton campaigned hard against Whitener claiming she had abused Blue Ridge’s weak Mayor system. Stating that Blue Ridge is structured to have a strong city council and a weak Mayor. He questioned the hold up on completing the Depot along with not putting city paving projects out for bid. Eaton said Whitener and Ronda Thomas had city roads paved without discussing it with the full council. Eaton was also opposed to the Ice Skating Rink stating that the city lost money on the deal. As hard as Eaton worked to get his message out he could not turn his efforts into votes. Eaton released the following statement,

“ Well, last night is what I would call a successful loss. I wasn’t able to unseat the mayor, but city of Blue Ridge succeeded in electing a good council, one that I’m hopeful will restore the weak mayor system that our charter calls for. This election was never about just getting one person elected. It was about putting in place a system of checks and balances that doesn’t allow one person to grab so much power as to do the city harm by pushing her own interests instead of the city’s, which I have seen first hand. The mayor was trying to get a team in there that would’ve allowed her to do whatever she wanted, with no question. After all, so far, I’ve been her main obstacle to total control of the city. I was never looking for this power grab and as I said all along, I wanted Blue Ridge to have a strong voting council. Since her team had a rough showing last night, the next 4 years won’t be as easy for her to slide things through as she thought, and for that I am very satisfied. A good balance of power in any government is crucial. In the mean time, I plan to be very involved, as all of you should be, and I’m looking forward to helping the new council get settled in. I’m extremely happy to have Bruce Pack as our new parks commissioner. This is a position that I’ve served for almost 5 years, and I couldn’t be happier to see someone like Bruce going into that role! The parks are in good hands! In the mean time, I would like to thank all of my supporters. I know each and every one of you want what is best for Blue Ridge. I especially want to thank all of you for seeing past the rhetoric in this campaign and understanding that any level of government can be dangerous when too much power is held by a single individual.”

Post 2 incumbent Rhonda Thomas had the most votes of any candidate receiving 227 to her challenger Kathleen Setser’s 151. A difference of 76 votes. Thomas released the following statement,

“Thanks to everyone who has been a part of my campaign. I especially want to thank the residents of Blue Ridge who voted for me. I will not let you down!”

When we contacted Kathleen Setser requesting a comment concerning the election she said,

“I wouldn’t give him a p#$? to take a pill.”

I was not shocked considering the negative campaign Setser ran throughout the election. Setser’s campaign was a direct retaliation against Whitener and Thomas after the Swan Drive-in lease and new screen argument that took place last year. Setser personally attacked Whitener by creating a

“Mayor Burger.”

They sold Mayor Burger tee shirts with derogatory comments about the Mayor. Sources tell FYN that Setser placed a picture of the Mayor in the urinal of the Drive-in. Setser tried to discredit post 4 candidate Lynda Thompson by releasing that Thompson owed back taxes. Thompson answered the attack by releasing, though her CPA, the payment agreement that she had for her back taxes. Thompson proved that the tax was being paid as agreed. Thompson lost her bid for post four to incumbent Rodney Kendall 219 -158. Thompson received 7 more votes than Setser.

One could surmise that according to the election results the citizens of Blue Ridge gave Mayor Whitener a mandate. The Mayor and the 2014 city council all won a landslide victory. In the last four years Blue Ridge has enjoyed positive growth, low taxes, and a future growth plan. The citizens have sent a message that they want to keep things going in a positive direction with Mayor Donna Whitener leading the way. The weak mayor finished strong.

It’s uncertain the future of the Setsers and their lease on the Swan Drive-in. They lost their strongest supporter when Michael Eaton lost the election. Mayor Whitener and Thomas plan to review the Drive-in lease. The Drive-in property belongs to the City.
Other winners Tuesday night were Post 1 – Harold Herndon, Post 3 – Angie Arp, and Post 5- Bruce Pack. The Fannin County Board of Elections will certify the election Friday, November 8th, 2013.