BRASELTON — In a landslide victory, Bill Orr has clinched the Braselton mayoral spot over town councilman Ralph Richardson Jr.

Orr received 573 votes, or 72.4 percent of the vote, while Richardson received 218 votes, 27.6 percent.

"I’m honored to be Braselton’s mayor-elect and I look forward to a smooth transition with Mayor Pat Graham and the town staff. We walked every neighborhood every week of the campaign and spoke with just about everybody in Braselton, most of it in the rain. What I learned from that is that I have some very dedicated volunteers," Orr said Tuesday night.

"I would also like to say thank you for voting, whether they voted for me or for Ralph Richardson. They came from all parts of Braselton and I plan to continue to pull Braselton together so we can continue to be the best hometown," he added.

Orr is a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments and a member of the Braselton Rotary Club. He and his family live in Braselton and attend Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church, where he serves as vice chairman of the church’s long-range planning committee.

Richardson currently holds the District 2 Town Council seat and has served on the council for six years. He is a small business owner and served for 26 years as a senior non-commissioned officer in the Georgia Army National Guard.

Efforts to reach Richardson were unsuccessful Tuesday.

Graham did not run for re-election. She announced July 21 that she is seeking the District 47 state Senate seat currently held by Sen. Ralph Hudgens, who in turn is running for Georgia Insurance Commissioner.

About 20 percent of the voting population voted in Braselton.

All newly elected officials in Braselton will be sworn in at the January meeting of the Braselton Town Council.

Running for mayor left Richardson’s District 2 spot on the town council open for election, and Bill Greene and Peggy B. Slappey, both of Braselton, ran for the seat.

The 146 votes Slappey received in this year’s election won her the seat on the council over Greene’s 104 votes.

"What a tremendous honor the people of Braselton have given me today. I am deeply humbled," Slappey said Tuesday. "It is now my privilege and duty to make this vote beneficial to all the citizens of Braselton. I commit to serve you with my head, hands and heart as we preserve our past and embrace our future. I cannot thank all of my supporters enough during this campaign — you are the best and let’s do it."

Slappey has been a Barrow County resident for nine years and works as a real estate broker with her firm, Peggy Slappey Properties, in Buford.

Greene said he believes Slappey and the rest of the council will do well in their coming terms on council.

"Well we were disappointed in our results ... but I’m sure that Peggy will do a fine job as a councilwoman. It was a really good race, a very enjoyable campaign. It was great getting to meet so many of my neighbors. And as long as the new council puts Braselton first in everything it does, we’ll be just fine," he said Tuesday.

Greene is a political consultant and teaches political science as an adjunct instructor at Gainesville State College. He ran for Congress during the 2007 special election to fill the late U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood Jr.’s unexpired term.

Current District 4 Town Councilman Dudley Ray was re-elected to his post with 227 votes. Ray ran unopposed this year.

He has served in that position since 1997 and has lived in Braselton for 11 years. Ray retired from U.S. Steel after 31 years in management and was a member of the Georgia National Guard for 32 years.