By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
Piedmont politics boiled over in the days leading up to the council election as voters decided on a new face for mayor.
Kurt Mayabb emerged the victor Tuesday night with 501 votes, or 43.49 percent against Acting Mayor Bobby Williamson’s 347 votes and former mayor John Bickerstaff’s 304 votes.
“I am thankful for the people who got me this far, and especially my parents who were my biggest supporters,” Mayabb said.
During a last-minute watch party Kurt Mayabb celebrated a victory but not before he received an important phone call.
“I got a call from John Bickerstaff,” Mayabb said. “John has been really good to me this whole time. He just congratulated me last night on a job well done. I told him last night I was not done with him. It takes everybody to come together and make this town great. He’s one with a lot of information and knowledge. We would be foolish to throw someone like that to the side.”
Mayabb did not receive a call from Williamson and Williamson did not return a call for comment Wednesday at press time.
Bickerstaff said he will be available to Mayabb.
“I would be glad to share information and past experiences I’ve had from the times that I went through,” Bickerstaff said. “I am thankful for everyone who supported me and was behind me during the campaign. For me personally, I want to thank those two (candidates) for being good opponents.”
Among the phone calls Mayabb received in congratulations was from a friend who reminded him of a foreshadowing moment nearly 10 years ago.
“We were at dinner in about 2010 and I told her I was going to be mayor of Piedmont,” Mayabb said. “The promise to run for mayor didn’t start weeks or months ago. It started years ago.”
Now as mayor-elect, the man on the city council hopes to see Piedmont improve through collaboration and leadership.
“Living out there all my life and the way I’ve been raised, you always want to do better,” he said. “How can we do better? I just want to be part of it to make a change. My platform, part of it, was that I want to bring professionalism and consistency back into our city. Integrity, loyalty, respect.”
Mayabb believes change is more possible than ever before following the calls he received Tuesday night.
“There were several people that did not vote for me that congratulated me,” he said.
“Those are the people in my book that want to see this town grow. They have put their political view to the side and are choosing to help Piedmont move forward in a positive manner and that’s what we need.”
