The residents of Auburn elected incumbent Bill Ham as mayor Tuesday.
Ham said he was confident about winning the race, but knew nothing was a sure thing until it was finalized.
"A lot of people have called and said, 'Based on the community, you probably will win,'" Ham said. "I don't take any of that into account until everything is in."
Ham said it is a private matter, but voters change their minds in the booth all the time.
"They may say one thing and do another," Ham said, "so I would never make a prediction ahead of time."
Election day was a busy one for Ham, who began by going on the radio at 6:30 a.m. to discuss the campaign leading up to the election.
He then hit the polls at 7 a.m. and attended the kickoff at 8 a.m. put on by United Way.
"I've been in touch with the city manager [Charlie Duggan] all day," Ham said. "Then I went home, changed clothes and picked up my wife. Now here I am."
Before winning the mayoral election for his third term, Ham had been on Auburn's City Council six previous times, three as mayor.
"For me, [the hardest aspect of running a mayoral campaign is] knowing whether you're hitting the right buttons and doing the right thing," Ham said. "It is hard for me to feel like I've done enough."
Ham said his favorite aspect of being mayor is working with schools and recruiting business and industry.
"We've got some interesting challenges coming up," Ham said. "Good things, the growth in our school system and how we're going to fund a new high school, but a lot of cities are shrinking. We are very fortunate."
Brent Beard and Gene Dulaney were the other two council members challenged in their wards, but both were victorious, leaving the current City Council intact.
"I'm humble that people of Ward 7 are entrusting me to represent them on the council for another four years," Dulaney said. "I view council service as just that: an opportunity to serve the community."
Dulaney is entering his third term as Ward 7 council member, while Beard has served one and a half terms before this election.
"This will be coming up on my second complete term," Beard said. "I actually was appointed April of 2006 to finish a former member's tenure."
Municipal elections are held every four years with the polls open to all registered voters of the city of Auburn.
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