Martinsville City Council member Shannon Kohl has defeated incumbent Mayor Phil Deckard in the city's Republican mayoral primary. Kohl, who has worked in real estate and has served on the city council for the past two years, has promised to lure business to the city and to improve roads and sidewalks.
During the campaign, Kohl accused Deckard of mismanaging the city's budget; Deckard, in turn, says Kohl spread false rumors about him.
"Naturally we are disappointed with the results," he says. "We thought the things we were doing were the things that the majority of citizens were hoping us to do."
Deckard says in his remaining time as mayor, he will continue to work on various infrastructure projects, such as installing new water lines.