Mayor Darwin Hindman’s priorities for the next three years include revising the city’s land disturbance ordinance, executing the ideas that emerge from the visioning project, preserving undeveloped areas of the city and upgrading neighborhoods.
That’s quite an agenda for a man who’s already been in office for 12 years. But Hindman easily won a record fifth term Tuesday, defeating a second challenge by community activist John Clark, who also ran in 2004. Hindman won with 9,671 votes to Clark’s 3,224, or 75 percent to 25 percent.
Hindman gathered with supporters at the Tiger Hotel to watch election returns.
“I feel this is a reaffirmation that the community supports my leadership,” Hindman said. “You’re constantly making decisions where you’re developing critics, and to win a fifth term in the face of that, I’m very proud of that.”
Hindman, 73, won with a low-key campaign that emphasized his leadership and experience. He started the election season cautiously, having been treated recently for prostate cancer.
During his first four terms, Hindman has been an advocate of parks, green spaces and pedestrian-friendly projects. He has also overseen a period of rapid growth and aggressive annexations. Robert Dierkes, 53, an administrative law judge who cast his ballot at Fairview Elementary School, said he voted to give the mayor another term.
“Hindman has done a good job, and the city will keep growing no matter who we elect. I think Hindman is more attuned to that than Mr. Clark’s rhetoric.”
But Eric Monroe, a 50-year-old computer technician who voted at Blue Ridge Elementary, said he voted for Clark.
“(Hindman) is a good guy, but we need some new blood and new, fresh ideas.”
Clark, 64, who had a small gathering at his Ninth Street home on election night, said during his campaign that he wanted to strengthen the City Council and have it retake control of city government. He also favored the creation of a citizen review board for the Police Department and was critical of the council for pursuing annexations that he says create an inequitable burden on existing residents.
“I’ve really already accomplished an enormous amount,” Clark said. “Some of my articulation of the issues may have some effect, maybe not.”
Clark said he decided to run to ensure a contested race and because he doesn’t believe the council is taking responsibility for governing the city.
“You know, I had hoped in the last three years the council would have stepped up a bit more,” he said.
Although he wasn’t sure he’d make another run for the council, he said much can change before then.
“That’s just the nature of electoral politics, and I’ve gotten a taste of that this time around,” he said. “I was astounded that nothing has changed in the past three years.”