With the first round of the municipal election behind her, Ward 8 run-off candidate Jannie Venter is now sitting in her corner of the ring plotting out the next moves that could secure her a seat on the Selma City Council.

Venter, beat incumbent James Durry by only an eight-vote margin on Aug. 4, feels confident that she will beat the odds in this next election round and come out victorious.

“I really wasn’t shocked at all (by the close vote),” Venter said. “I’m glad I came out strong. Most people know me and they know what I stand for.”

Venter has not had a chance to slow down since the months leading up to the Aug. 24 election. The candidate went door-to-door asking residents in her ward to vote and participated in several public forums, and now she is going through the whole process again.

Despite the work involved in getting elected, Venter seems to be enjoying every minute of it.

“I’m a people person,” Venter said. “I’ve worked with people all my life. I know how to talk with them and get their needs met. If I’m elected to office, I want to get people’s community pride up.”

There are too many dilapidated houses and junk cars in Ward 8, Venter says, and she would like to see a community-wide effort to do something about it.

“These junk cars and houses attract rats and snakes, which can get into other people’s homes,” she said. “One of the first things I would do in office is host a big clean up day. We would get the cars removed, cut down the overgrown yards of abandoned houses and clean up the trash. I would get in there, roll-up my sleeves and get to work. I’d also expect the residents to keep the neighborhoods clean after all the work is finished.”

Promoting community involvement in one of Venter’s main platforms in the run-off election. She said she is tired of Ward 8 being an eyesore for Selma and believes she can make a difference.

“I’m will not be afraid to ask for things,” Venter said. “I know I probably won’t be able to do everything at one time, but I should at least ask, even if I don’t get it. I would be ashamed if, by the end of four years, nothing has changed in Ward 8. I wouldn’t even run again.”

Venter said the mayor has her full support and is eager to work closely with him.

“Selma has a God-sent mayor and he needs God-sent people working behind him,” Venter said. “There should be no more of this bickering, The council meetings should be done in a decent and orderly manner. I don’t like all these executive sessions. People need to be told what is going on in their city and what decisions are being made.”

Venter says she is excited about the upcoming run-off election day on Sept. 14, and maybe even ready for it all to be over with.

“I really just want to thank all those voters who supported me and all my campaign workers. I could not have done this without them,” she said.

Venter has been a Ward 8 resident for 29 years and will be celebrating 31 years on WHBB 1490 AM as the “Host With the Most Double-Dose.”