SILSBEE, Texas — The mayoral race was the only contested race in the City of Silsbee, and the winner was a write-in candidate.
Danny Reneau and John Marble faced off the for the city's mayoral seat. The current mayor of Silsbee did not seek re-election.
Reneau beat Marble after gaining 75 percent of the votes.
For Reneau, it was a last-minute decision to run for mayor.
"This was the time. If I were to participate, it would be now,” Reneau said. “Also that this is a time they needed me."
The write-in candidate is a Silsbee native who owned the Silsbee Bee. He decided to run for office after receiving multiple calls from people telling him he would be a good fit for mayor.
"I owed the community something," Reneau said. "Because this community has done a lot for me. For many years, this was one of the 10 biggest weekly newspapers in Texas. It's because of all the good people that work down here."
Reneau wants to create jobs and put new buildings on vacant land. Having attended many city council meetings, he feels he has what it takes to make the change he wishes to see.
"Sure would be nice to get somebody located on that 300 or 400-square acres, so we can try to get some jobs back for some of these people," Reneau said. "I have an experience advantage not from serving in the city, but attending hundreds of city council meetings, not only in our community, but our neighboring ones too."
Now that he has been elected, Reneau hopes to create change and prosperity throughout the city of Silsbee.