The run up to the Nov. 8 election in Tyrone must have been like heaven for local sign makers. Campaign signs too many to count dotted the town’s landscape in the weeks prior to the election, but when it was all over Councilman Eric Dial had been elected mayor and first-time candidates Linda Howard and Ryan Housley had been elected to serve on the town council.
When the ballots were counted Dial had garnered 1,204 votes (70 percent) while first-time candidate Derrick Jackson received 523 votes (30 percent).
Mayor Don Rehwaldt announced earlier in the year that he would not be running for re-election.
The 2011 election cycle saw Howard receiving 892 (55 percent) of the Post 1 votes while Tammy Proctor took 726 votes (45 percent).
Dial had served in the Post 1 seat that came open when he qualified for mayor.
The Post 2 race featuring Housley and Pota Coston went to Housley who received 1,009 votes (59 percent) compared to 700 (41 percent) for Coston.
Post 2 Councilman Tracy Young did not qualify for re-election.
Also featured in the election, and coming up a winner, was Sunday package sales that voters approved 61 percent to 39 percent.
Voter turnout in Tyrone, at least in the past few years, has been substantial compared to many communities. The 2011 election cycle was no exception with 39 percent of the town’s registered voters going to the polls.
An indication of a significant turnout was easily predicted a few weeks ago when nearly 200 people attended the candidates’ forum at the Tyrone Depot.
Meantime, the forum four years ago filled up a substantial portion of the Legacy Theater. Those familiar with Tyrone and its sometimes feisty political landscape know that such a large number of people attending a forum in such a small town is not uncommon for this northwest Fayette County municipality.
