Fort Mill Town Council has its final member

The next Fort Mill Town Council is complete. It looks a lot like the current one.

Councilwoman Trudie Heemsoth defeated challenger Julia Beilsmith in a runoff election Tuesday to keep her at-large seat. All three seats up for election this fall went to incumbents, as Councilman Jamie Shirey ran unopposed and Councilman Larry Huntley defeated Beilsmith’s husband, John, in the Nov. 7 general election.

Heemsoth fell less than a half dozen votes shy of winning her seat in that three-way election, but needed the runoff after taking 49.69 percent. Candidates need a majority vote to win.

“It looks like I will be serving once again,” Heemsoth said as results came in late Tuesday.

Results are unofficial until the county registration office certifies them at 3 p.m. Wednesday. With all but emergency and failsafe ballots reported, Heemsoth had more than 82 percent of the vote. More than 450 votes were in as of 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Heemsoth said the wide margin could be a reflection of the job she has done on council, filling an unexpired term when Mayor Guynn Savage transitioned from her council seat.

“I certainly hope so, because I have worked hard for the town,” Heemsoth said.

She didn’t have any immediate plans for what she’d like to accomplish in the new term.

“Right now it’s just continuing,” Heemsoth said. “I do want to say I’d like to thank the voters that came out and supported me, that had confidence in me. I appreciate them.”

Beilsmith, as she awaited results Tuesday night, said she stuck to the same game plan she had for the election two weeks prior.

“I spoke with people in the community and did social media, that type of thing,” she said.

With only the one election — there was a capital sales tax referendum along with two Fort Mill council votes last time — and many families preparing or having already left for Thanksgiving, Beilsmith figured voter turnout would be key. She ran unsuccessfully for council once before, with that race decided by fewer than 100 votes.

“I'm just hoping that we get a decent turnout,” she said. “That’s my only concern.”

Heemsoth won big in absentee ballots, the first to come in among county results. She won more than 83 percent. That margin carried through as precinct totals arrived. Heemsoth won all but one precinct in the contest. Total voter turnout came in at 3.58 percent.

This story was originally published November 21, 2017 at 9:05 PM with the headline "Fort Mill Town Council has its final member."