Murfreesboro City Council incumbents Wright, Shacklett and Wade win reelection

Murfreesboro City Council incumbents Shawn Wright, Bill Shacklett and Kirt Wade will won reelection Thursday.

The top three earning at large Murfreesboro votes out of five nonpartisan council candidates will win four year terms.

The count with all 30 of Rutherford County's voting centers reporting show Wright on top with 5,234 votes as of 8:58 p.m.

"I appreciate the support of citizens of Murfreesboro," said Wright, who won his seat in 2020. "I look forward to serving my community for four more years with my colleagues, and I look forward to our direction in which we’re heading."

Shacklett, the vice mayor, was runner up with 4,701 votes.

Wade placed third to keep his seat with 4,517.

"I would like to thank the citizens of Murfreesboro in trusting in me," Wade said. "Murfreesboro is a great place to live, work and play. I will continue to serve and vote on what's best for Murfreesboro."

Kelly Northcutt was fourth with 4,309 votes while Matt Herriman finished fifth with 4,249 votes.

The Rutherford County Election Commission will be certifying the Aug. 1 election results during a 5 p.m. meeting Aug. 12.

Vice mayor disappointed by low voter turnout

Shacklett expressed concerns about the low voter turnout for Thursday's election.

"I have mixed feelings about yesterday's election," Shacklett told The Daily News Journal Friday morning.

"While I'm grateful to be able to continue my service on the City Council and want to commend all those who offered themselves to run for public office, it is extremely troubling to me that in a town approaching 170,000 people such a small number of citizens exercised their responsibility to vote.

"It's not just concerning about today, but I'm concerned about what it communicates to the next generation. Apathy and complacency is a serious threat to our democracy. My hope and prayer is that our citizens will turn this around in the November election.

"If you call yourself a patriot and love what our country stands for, then do your part and encourage others to do their part. Make a difference. Vote. It's your right. It's your responsibility."

Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Murfreesboro City Council incumbents Wright, Shacklett and Wade win reelection