Rutland Mayor Michael Doenges has won reelection. He beat former city clerk and Board of Aldermen member Henry Heck with about 56% of the vote in Tuesday's Town Meeting Day election.
Doenges was all smiles Tuesday night as unofficial results came in, and he said he was gratified by the strong mandate for the path he was taking.
"We ran this campaign on affordability, public safety and growth, and all three of those things are directly interlocked and we need to continue on that path," Doenges said, "And we heard loud and clear that the voters in Rutland are excited about that."
The 44-year-old incumbent was first elected in 2023 and touted growing housing in the city as a priority, along with making Rutland a more welcoming, thriving and exciting place to live.
The mayor's mission resonated with voters like Larry Walter, who said he likes the direction the city has taken under Doenges' leadership. Walter said he walks and bikes a lot and is especially happy about changes to traffic flow on Routes 4 and 7 designed to slow motorists down, accommodate bicyclists and improve safety.
"It's a heck of a lot easier to get around now and much quieter," Walter said, calling the change "a Godsend." He worried if Heck became mayor, the road diet would likely be changed back, which is something he didn't want to see.
Rutland residents Jeri Tyl and Janice Semp said they weren't sure who they were going to vote for initially and liked things about both candidates. But the women said derogatory comments Heck made about the local police department during a campaign event last month, and the uproar that followed, changed their minds.
More from 开云体育: Why Rutland's complicated race for mayor has unions weighing in
Heck, a former longtime city clerk in Rutland, apologized for the comments, but unions representing more than 130 Rutland municipal and school department workers, including police and firefighters, endorsed Doenges.
"I believe our police need as much support as we can give them, and that just changed my vote to Mayor Mike,鈥� Semp said.
Budgets, $3.8 million bond approved
Beyond the mayor's race, Rutland voters resoundingly approved their school and municipal budgets and green-lit a $3.8 million capital improvement bond to be paid for by the city鈥檚 new 1% sales tax. The money will be used to repair and improve municipal buildings, the city鈥檚 water infrastructure, as well as roads and sidewalks.
Rutland residents Sheila and John O鈥機onnor said they hesitate to spend more city money, but both voted in favor of the budgets and bond.
"We owe it to our kids," Sheila said.
"You have to invest in the infrastructure," John added. "If you don鈥檛, people are not going to want to live here, and if that鈥檚 the case, then the whole area suffers.鈥�
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