Former mayoral candidate Marilee Walters thanks voters; undecided about endorsing primary winner Adam Barringer or incumbent Sally Mackay

NSBNEWS.net photo by Henry Frederick. Mayoral candidate Marilee Walters said she was physically wiped out in the waning moments of primary night voting as shown in this photo outside a polling precinct on the beachside Tuesday night. Walters finished a distant third in her first try at elective office.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Former mayoral candidate Marilee Walters issued a written statement Thursday, thanking those who voted for her candidacy.

"I just want to thank everyone that supported and helped me. It was a great experience and I learned so much. I am going to ask all of you to continue the journey. We made a dent in the city's political status quo. We will be able to change it, but not as soon as I thought. Stay involved, if you are not, get involved. Tell your friends and family."

Walters said she hasn't decided whether she will endorse primary winner Adam Barringer or Mayor Sally Mackay.

"It's like I'd have to choose between the lesser of two evils," the Flagler Avenue merchant said. "I may not endorse either of them. I need to think about it for awhile."

Barringer defeated Mackay by 15 votes in Tuesday's primary, garnering 1,804 votes or 44.86 percent of the overall votes compared to the incumbent's 1,789 votes or 44.49 percent. Walters received 428 votes, 10.64 percent of the total.

Only the top two were able to move on to the Nov. 3 runoff.