Mandleco unseats Davis for Russellville clerk-treasurer

RUSSELLVILLE -- Martha Mandleco will be the new clerk-treasurer in Russellville as of the first of the year.

Mandleco narrowly unseated incumbent Devon Davis by a vote of 46-43.

"I will strive to be fair and honest with all the citizens of Russellville," Mandleco said after the final election results Tuesday.

Meanwhile, of the four at-large candidates filed for Russellville Town Council, two incumbents and one newcomer will be sitting on the board come January.

Incumbent Cary McGaughey had 72 votes and incumbent Cathy Jones finished with 65 votes. New councilman Jim Russell Davis brought in 49 votes.

Debbie Bartelt fell behind with a total of 48 votes.

Russellville Town Council newcomer Jim Davis said his win was "bittersweet," as his wife, Devon Davis, will not be serving the town when he takes the council seat.

"Devon lost and I won, so that is bittersweet," Davis said. "The voters here in Russellville are a little confused. They let go of the best clerk-treasurer they've had. But, I will help get the town in the right direction."

Looking forward, the first-time councilman hopes to focus on downtown revitalization and upgrade the town's streets.

"This town needs life brought back to it and I hope we can get it in the right direction," Davis added.

While McGaughey was the incumbent, he said this was his first time running for a council position. Last January, he took a place on the council following the resignation of Don Reddish.

Looking forward, McGaughey said he hopes to push for better streets, which he believes is a major concern for the town.

"That's the reason I took the position, is for the better of the town," he explained.

Jones said she is looking forward to serving another four years on the town council and has several projects in mind she would like to see completed.

"I hope to work on some of the streets and get some grant money for redoing the town, building it bigger and helping everybody out," Jones said.