Salem voters showed up at the ballot box on Tuesday, May 1, and made it abundantly clear who they currently want to serve on the city council. John Saunders, 57, and Mayor Randy Foley, 48, were chosen over four other contenders – Todd Hester, Renee Turk, Josh Kier and Tim Sutphin.

By winning Tuesday’s election, Mayor Foley is set to serve his fourth term in office. Saunders decided to finally run for office last year after working at the Salem Civic Center for three decades.

In 2016, roughly 11 percent of eligible Salem voters participated in the City Council election. This time around, voter turnout ended up being about 16 percent. Both Saunders and Foley will start serving their terms on Sunday, July 1.

“Things need to change in Salem, and I want to be part of it. We need to revitalize not only downtown Salem but other portions of the city that have been neglected over the years,” Saunders said back in February. “West Salem definitely needs a little boost; there are too many buildings down that way that are empty. And East Main Street is not the greatest entryway into Salem.”

Said Mayor Foley back in February: “I have enjoyed the past 12 years, and I am really excited about where we are right now. There is finally a period of positive economic growth, and I want to be a part of that and to see it all come to the fruition.”

It costs absolutely nothing to vote, which is why Amy Smith has participated in practically every local election since he turned 18.

“As a kid, I was always told not to let your vote go to waste. When I reached out to my friends on Tuesday morning, the conversation on which candidate they were choosing never came up,” she said. “I just wanted them to get out there and vote.”

Neither candidate could be reached after Tuesday’s election for comment before deadline.