Valley Grande has elected Matt Dobbs as its new mayor.

Dobbs received 729 votes, or 90 percent of the vote, to defeat challenger Barry Hilliman, who received 77 votes.

“I have found myself over the years saying they should do this or they should do that. Instead of continuing to say someone else should do it, I decided it was time to take action,” Dobbs said in an interview Tuesday with the Times-Journal.

He said Monday that he hopes to increase security in Valley Grande because it’s the concern he hears the most from citizens.

“The biggest thing I hear from the citizens of Valley Grande is we need more patrols,” Dobbs said.

“We don’t really feel safe, so protection and safety is one of the first and foremost things that I will address if I’m elected.”

Dobbs is the executive vice president of a company in Selma, where he also serves as secretary/treasurer of the board of directors and manager of the facilities. Dobbs’ biography did not name the company he works for.

He said he oversees millions of dollars in annual sales, which he said is more than the money the city of Valley Grande budgets for each year.

He has been married to Jennifer Dobbs for more than 30 years. Jennifer and Matt purchased a home in Valley Grande in 2004 and have lived there since.

The couple has raised three daughters, who are all now adults. Jennifer is the director of Safe Harbor Women’s Clinic in Selma.

Dobbs will replace outgoing Valley Grande Mayor Wayne Labbe, who elected not to run for re-election.