ROANOKE RAPIDS — Voters casting ballots in the Roanoke Rapids municipal elections Tuesday arrived at their decisions based on a variety of issues. Of course, The Roanoke Rapids Theatre figured prominently for some, but many had other concerns as well.

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One voter stated she was casting her votes based on The Roanoke Rapids Theatre issue, but also based on candidate profiles she’d read “in the paper.” She was a longtime resident of the city in her 40s. Another voter from that same age group said he cast his ballot based on “a clean sweep,” meaning he wished to see incumbents ousted from their positions.

However, incumbent backlash and the theater project did not figure in the minds of all voters. Two high school students voting in their first election stated they were voting to change “the way things are done in the schools.” Still another a longtime resident, in his 50s, said he was voting for “who can make a payroll.”

One woman, 82, came to the polls to vote for a specific candidate; she had no issues on her mind other than to cast her ballot for her choice. Another woman who’d lived in Roanoke Rapids for 33 years said she was voting for the “candidates I know.”

A male in his 30s who moved to Roanoke Rapids in February of this year said he was looking for candidates who “have the interests of small business and community development” in mind. One woman in her 60s, another longtime resident, said she was choosing her candidates based on “honesty.”

Other voters simply said they had no specific issues in mind when casting their ballots. But the Roanoke Rapids Theatre loomed large for many.

One 29-year-old male who has lived in Roanoke Rapids since he was 2-years old voted based on “The Roanoke Rapids Theatre and the financial impact it will have on us for the next 10 years.” A woman in her 60s who grew up in Roanoke Rapids, moved away then returned in 1983 said they should have built up the area around Carolina Crossroads before building the theater. “Nobody bases their vacation around seeing a show,” she said. “They put the cart before the horse” on the theater project.

Given the results of Tuesday’s elections, it’s clear the voters were not happy with the way Roanoke Rapids has been run. The new mayor and the new council members say they are ready to begin the task of restoring the citizens’ confidence in city leadership.