The elections board will meet to certify the election on May 15.
Oda said she looks forward to continuing as mayor, adding, “I love my job.”
“It is an honor to be chosen to represent the city of Troy and all of its residents once again. I’m so grateful for everyone who took the time to vote in this primary,” Oda said. “I’m looking forward to getting into the office (Wednesday) and continuing the work that is already in progress. We have an amazing team in place, busy doing the things that will keep this community thriving and succeeding.”
Lutz said he always thought the race was going to be very tight.
“In the end I was very happy with the way the campaign was run. We had wonderful volunteers,” he said.
Oda, 62, is in the fourth year of her first term as mayor. No Democrat filed for the mayor’s position so as winner of the primary, she is in place to continue as mayor in January.
Lutz, 45, is the council president, a position elected by the public. He works as executive director at The New Path.
In her campaign, Oda said her initial days as mayor were unusual, with a tornado striking downtown in January 2020 followed by the COVID-19 pandemic in March.
“We kept our focus and continued to operate as normally as possible. We continued to welcome new businesses, development and expansions. For example, we were happy to welcome the Pella Corp. and Agave & Rye at the height of the COVID shutdowns,” Oda said.
Among city challenges, Oda said, are workforce-related issues including housing, transportation and childcare.
“While I don’t believe government is the answer, we are engaged in discussions on a local level with our larger industries and several organizations on what possible solutions might look like,” she said.
Lutz said challenges include creating a stronger and more resilient workforce, providing housing options to attract new residents and asking residents if they are getting value for the tax dollars being spent.
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