Rhonda Burson is the newly-elected mayor for the city of Neelyville.
She received 62 votes in the April 4 election while her opponent John Knowles had 16 votes
There was one unresolved write-in, but no one was certified as a write-in the mayor’s race.
Knowles’ name was on the ballot twice. As the incumbent alderman in Ward 1, Knowles received seven votes to retain his position as an alderman.
Neelyville City Clerk Jenna Davis explained Knowles could running for both mayor and Ward I Alderman. The city’s ordinances allowed him to run for both position, and if he had won both he could have chosen which one he wanted. If he chose to be mayor, a replacement would be appointed by the council.
In Ward 2, Jeff Gilmore received 42 votes while the certified write-in candidate Karen Prosser had seven.
Burson graduated from Neelyville High School, where she presently works. She is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and worked at Briggs & Stratton Corporation and Gates Corporation.