City employee Dave Waggoner is once again winning the race for Laurel’s mayor, and this time, he plans to actually take office.
Waggoner collected 679 votes in the unofficial count Tuesday night, or 43 percent, in the four-way race for Laurel’s top elected position.
He defeated three other candidates: City Council members Bruce McGee and Scot Stokes and the late mayor, Tom Nelson, who died Friday after ballots were already turned into the elections office.
Waggoner was the top vote getter four years ago but was told he would need to resign his job with the city’s water department before he could take office. He refused, so the Laurel City Council appointed Nelson, the other candidate in the race.
Waggoner still works for the city, but he told The Laurel Outlook last month that he plans to retire if he wins the race and becomes mayor.
In other Laurel news, City Judge Jean Kerr will keep her seat. She led challenger Juliane Lore with over 80 percent in unofficial returns.
