By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Incumbent Alabaster Mayor Marty Handlon will serve a second term in the position after she soundly defeated challenger Dr. Larry Sailes in the city’s Aug. 23 elections.

Handlon earned about 84 percent of the vote in the election, recording 2,906 votes to Sailes’ 541 votes.

“I’m fully honored. I’m still trying to take in all those numbers,” Handlon said after the results were announced at Alabaster First United Methodist Church’s Restore building, which was the city’s polling place for the election. “I feel so blessed that the people have enough confidence in me to give me another four years.

“I think we’ve done a lot of really good things, and I look forward to keep doing good things,” Handlon added.

Handlon said she is excited to continue working to implement the Alabaster Forward comprehensive plan, which was formulated by the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham and approved by the City Council earlier this year.

“There are a lot of great things ahead for the city of Alabaster,” Handlon said. “I’m glad to be a part of it, and I thank the citizens of Alabaster for allowing me to be a part of it.”

When Sailes returned to his poll-watching party at the New Direction Church on U.S. 31 after hearing the election results, he shared a positive message with his supporters.

“When we got back here, we still treated it like a celebration. We feel successful with the campaign itself,” Sailes said. “It didn’t turn out the way we anticipated or desired, but we are extremely excited about getting to take part in the process.”