Roderick Smith will be the next city councilman for Ward 2.
Smith defeated Laisha “Ms. She-She” O’Neal by a 264-51 margin (83.8% to 16.2%) Tuesday to win the Democratic primary runoff. Since no Republican or independent ran in that ward, Smith will not face a general election opponent.
He will take office July 1 and replace four-term incumbent Joseph Mickens.
“It feels great,” Smith said Tuesday night after the votes were counted at the Municipal Complex. “We had a game plan. We stuck to it, and we got the result we were looking for.”
Smith’s 251 votes (46.3%) led the three-candidate field in the April 1 primary but fell short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff. O’Neal placed second with 156 votes (28.8%), eliminating Mickens, who received 135 votes (24.9%).
At age 32, Smith said he’s proud the ward gave such a young candidate a chance at a council seat.
“They wanted change, and they saw something in me,” he said. “Like I always said, from day one, (my goals are) holding each other accountable on the council and bringing unity to the city and the county.”
Speaking with The Dispatch by phone Tuesday night, O’Neal characterized her first foray into politics as “exciting,” adding she “learned a lot of interesting things about our city.”
She also congratulated Smith.
“God bless him,” she said.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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