In a landslide, Arline Chapman was elected to the Porterdale City Council Tuesday beating out three other candidates.

Chapman received 116 votes, Wayne Maddox finished second with 42 votes, James Himes received 25 votes and Jack Loyd tallied 11.

"I want to thank the people of Porterdale and especially those who helped with my campaign," Chapman said. "And I think everyone should be proud that all the candidates ran a fair and straightforward campaign. They should all be commended for that."

Himes congratulated Chapman after her victory and said he was sure she would do an excellent job in her new role.

"We need accountability down there (in the city council)," Himes said. "I know she will do a good job. If I wasn't running, I would have voted for her myself."

After receiving word of her election, Chapman promised to stay true to her platform of controlled residential and commercial growth, preserving Porterdale's history and fiscal accountability on all levels.

"We need to look to the future," Chapman said. "I am going to stick with my promises and help this community forward."

Though he is happy for Chapman, Himes promised he would seek a position during the next election.

Porterdale also voted 132 to 55 Tuesday to allow the sale of distilled spirits by the drink for on-premises consumption.

The referendum was the last in a series of measures which were designed to relieve restrictions on the sale of alcohol within Porterdale city limits.

Last November, Porterdale citizens voted to approve the Sunday sale of beer and wine by the glass. The same month, the Porterdale City Council voted to extend the hours a restaurant can serve alcohol on Friday and Saturday nights to 1:45 a.m. Beer and wine could previously only be sold until midnight.

Walter Davis, owner and developer of the Porterdale Mill Lofts, previously said he hoped the sale of distilled spirits would help attract a large restaurant to the empty 4,000-square foot restaurant space in the Loft.

Himes agreed with Davis' assessment.

 "That's going to do a lot of good for the community," Himes said of the referendum. "We've got to get the foundation of Porterdale back on track so when the economy straightens out, the city will be in good shape."

Chapman said she attempted to stay away from the issue during her campaign, but she was satisfied with the results.

"I know this has been an emotional and religious issue and I respect everyone's beliefs," Chapman said. "There are some economic advantages to being able to serve alcohol in the restaurants. A lot of people might want to have a cocktail before their meal and now they can."

Jimbo's Grill at the Mill is expected to be among the area restaurants to serve the distilled spirits to customers.