With 23-percent voter turnout Aug. 17, Lake Helen voters narrowed the field for their new mayor to two former city commissioners: Cameron Lane and Vernon Burton. That leaves former Deputy City Clerk Lauren Olsen out of the general election.
Lane received 46.9 percent of ballots cast, with 257 votes. Burton had only 39 fewer votes, for a total of 218, representing 39.8 percent.
Former Deputy City Clerk Lauren Olsen received 73 votes, or 13.3 percent of the total ballots cast.
A total of 548 votes were cast, out of the 2,338 registered voters in Lake Helen.
Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, Lane and Burton will match up Nov. 2 in the general election. Voters will also decide in November who will be the city commissioner for Zone 1, as incumbent Kelly Frasca faces a challenge from first-time candidate Heather Rutledge. In Zone 3, City Commissioner Rick Basso was re-elected unopposed.
In the mayoral race, Burton has raised $6,000 and spent $5,215. Lane has raised $2,300 and spent $1,849.
In Zone 2, Rutledge has raised $900 and spent $627, while incumbent Frasca has raised $100 but has spent $239.
While commissioners must reside in the zone they wish to represent, all registered voters who live in Lake Helen can cast ballots in both races.
Mr. Burton is a great candidate he should pull through this election. I would vote for him simply because of his dedication and determination to make sure every citizen is represented fairly.