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Eatonville Residents Vote to Fill Suspended Mayor's Vacancy

Three candidates are vying for suspended Mayor Anthony Grant's seat. Photo: Renata Sago.
Three candidates are vying for suspended Mayor Anthony Grant's seat. Photo: Renata Sago.

Eatonville residents will decide Saturday who will lead the historically black town temporarily. The first ever special election will take place to fill the vacancy of suspended Mayor Anthony Grant, who is facing election fraud charges.

Three candidates are vying for the position: Current interim mayor Eddie Cole, former mayor Bruce Mount, and former councilwoman Francis Sealey.

Resident LaVonda Wilder wants the interim mayor to focus on property development.

“Even though it’s a small town—it’s only 3 ½ miles long—it’s still time to bring some new stuff in here to benefit Eatonville.”

During a candidate debate last week, residents said they want to see the next mayor focus on the town's finances and getting Eatonville its own zip code.

“The most important thing now is that we keep moving, we keep moving, we keep moving," says current interim mayor Eddie Cole. "We’re looking just to continue what’s going on. The critical—what would make it critical is if we totally stopped.”

The winner of the race will be revealed on Sunday. It is unclear how long the interim mayor will serve.