It worked just the way it was supposed to.

The voters were given a choice. They went to the polls and they made a decision. That decision now stands and for the first time in nearly a year, the Selma City Council is a complete body once again.

For those who observed the race in the Ward 1 special election, it wasn’t much of one.  Tommy Atchison worked harder, had a more organized campaign and a better message.

And, in the end, he had about 621 more votes.

But, the real winner is the electoral process and governmental organization in Selma.

When Ward 1 representative Cecil Williamson assumed the role of Council President at the time of Geraldine Allen’s untimely death, a hole was created on the council that could have been handled one of two ways. One the right way and the other, well, let’s just say, not the right way.

With two years remaining on the term, we strongly encouraged the council to allow the voters of Ward 1 decide their representative, rather than leaving the decision to the open political wrangling and disdain of the council.

The only way to have done this was to open this special election. The expense of the election was well worth it and it was a true investment in the quality of leadership we should come to expect in Selma.

We applaud the decisions of the mayor and council for calling for this special election and congratulate Tommy Atchison.

The voters of Ward 1 overwhelmingly selected you Tommy. If you thought winning the seat was hard work, just wait until your first council meeting.