Melton wins

Odessa Mayor Larry Melton didn't face an opponent the first two times he ran for the office. The 2008 race proved to be only marginally more challenging.

Melton, 69, defeated challenger Art Leal 89.17 percent to 10.83 percent in Saturday's mayoral election. Melton received 3,252 out of 3,647 votes cast.

"Obviously, we had to get the vote out," Melton said Saturday evening. "We had to tell our story, and we did that."

The victory sets up Melton, who became mayor upon the 2001 death of Billy Hext, for what he says will be his final term, lasting through 2012.

Melton, chief executive officer of Johnson Miller and Co., maintained a large financial lead throughout the race. Records showed the incumbent with a nearly 9-to-1 advantage in contributions over Leal, 38.

Still, that didn't stop the incumbent from campaigning hard. He said he appeared at all 16 polling places during Saturday's voting.

"You never take anything like this for granted," he said. "We thought we had a good program for the community, and we just needed to show it."

Melton was elected to finish out Hext's term in 2002, and was elected to his first full term in 2004.

Leal, a banker and chairman of the Odessa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said one reason he ran was due to his frustration with the lack of contested races in the area. He became known for making appearances in the "Art Mobile," a white Chevrolet Cavalier decorated with flags and campaign signs.

Leal expressed disappointment with voter turnout, especially on Odessa's south side.

"I think what's important is we gave Odessa a choice and the city of Odessa made that choice," he said outside a watching party at Buffalo Wild Wings in Odessa. "I'm excited about that, because that's what democracy's all about."

Leal promised to run again in 2012, when an open field appears likely. Until then, he plans to continue focusing on issues like poverty, workforce problems and code enforcement.

"We've got a lot of work to do in the four years," he said. "We've got to educated the community."

Melton touted Odessa's economic success during his term, as well as 34 housing developments planned for the city.