James Fuller was elected mayor of Ludowici on Tuesday, according to Election Supervisor Larry Wells. Fuller received 48.03 percent (207) of the vote; Tara Manning received 22.74 percent (98); Janis Goode received 22.04 percent (95); and William Miller received 6.96 percent (30). The results are unofficial, Wells said, but all absentee ballots have been counted and there only are nine provisional ballots to be considered, so those nine votes will not affect the outcome of the mayoral race.

The new mayor expressed gratitude to his supporters.

“I want to thank all of the people who voted for me. Over the next couple of month, I plan on working closely with the mayor (Myrtice Warren) so that we can have a smooth transition. Her help and guidance will be very much appreciated,” Fuller said.

In the District 2 city council race, Wells said Marvin Chesser received 51.02 percent (50) of the votes, while incumbent Jim Fuller garnered 48.98 percent (48). Wells didn’t know whether the nine provisional ballots are from District 2, so it’s uncertain whether they will affect the outcome. Wells said that these ballots have to be reviewed and either accepted or rejected by the Long County Board of Elections. The deadline for the board to make its decision is Nov. 14.

Mary Hamilton won the District 1 race, garnering 67.11 percent (51) of the vote while Jerry Stapleton received 32.89 percent (25). Hamilton will replace A.A. “Zip” Billings, who recently died.

Hamilton thanked the voters and said she’s eager to get started.

“I want to thank all of people who voted for me and supported me. There were a lot of people who couldn’t even vote for me, but they were out there doing all that they could to show their support. … I look forward to working with the new mayor and the other members of the city council to help Ludowici continue to be a better place to live,” she said.

In District 3, incumbent Frank McClelland Jr. defeated challenger Codie Futch by taking 62 percent (31) of the vote, compared with Futch’s 38 percent (19).

McClelland plans to make fiscal responsibility a priority when his new term begins.

“First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who supported me. I look forward to working with the new members of the city council and those who I have worked with in the past. I also look forward to working with the incoming mayor. I will continue to do all I can to be responsible with the taxpayers’ dollars and see Ludowici continue its progress,” he said.

District 5 incumbent Gwendolyn Davis defeated challenger Robert Cahill by receiving 60.76 percent (48) of the votes while Cahill took 37.97 percent (30).

Davis promised her supporters she would continue to work hard for them.

“I want to thank all of the people in my district who believed in me and who voted for me. I will continue to work hard for all of the people and continue to seek good things for the people in the future,” she said.

District 4 incumbent Johnny Manning and City Recorder Judge Larry Fowler ran unopposed.