By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Writer

Robert Hight has been elected mayor of Thorsby. The race was decided by a margin of 66 votes; Hight received 188, Jean Nelson received 122.

The polls were open until 7p.m., giving most voters plenty of time to come by after work and vote. However, the voter turnout was only 26 percent of the projected 1,214 voters for Thorsby; only 310 people voted.

Whatever the turnout, the votes were clear. High was elected to serve the town of Thorsby beginning in November 2016.

On Aug. 24, the morning after the election, Hight was in his auto repair shop working. He will not take office until November, but determination and excitement were in his voice already.

He said he would like to thank all of his supporters and the people who voted for him.

“They’re the ones that made it happen,” said Hight.

Hight said his main goals when he gets into office are to get revenue into Thorsby by drawing businesses and to promote the town’s relationships with other municipalities nearby.

“We can’t do a lot without revenue,” said Hight. “We’ve got to attract businesses.”

Hight will take office after the end of current Mayor Jean Nelson’s term. Nelson was elected in 2012 and served for 18 years on the town council before that.

Thorsby’s council seats were all unopposed. The council that will serve alongside Hight is as follows: Neil Binson in Seat 1, Marilyn Collins in Seat 2, Chasity Chapman in Seat 3, Marvin Crumpton in Seat 4, and Glenn Littleton in Seat 5.