Mayor Rob Rolison captured the city of Poughkeepsie and won re-election as mayor at Tuesday's general election — defeating Democratic challenger Joash Ward by near 300 votes.

"It's a humbling experience to go through a campaign, trying to connect with people, and letting them know their voice matters, their opinions matter," Rollison said.

No stranger to elections, Rolison has been involved in Dutchess County politics since 2003, when he joined the county legislature. Before that he spent more than two decades with the town of Poughkeepsie police department. 

"This has been really the honor of my life to be a mayor in a great city like Poughkeepsie, I love this city," Rolison said.

He says now that he’s re-elected, he plans to continue on with the progress he’s already made in the city, with public safety and reducing crime as the main priorities.

He also says after seeing the close voting results, he wants to make more of an effort to let residents know party affiliation does not matter to him, but rather he represents the entire city.

"It's not about politics, I don't care what political party you belong to or even if you vote — it's our responsibility in government to do what we can to help people," Rolison said.

Rolison not only has Republican support but also some Democratic support. During the election campaign period, there were "Democrats for Rolison" signs posted throughout the city. He says he is grateful for the bipartisan support he has and without it, he may not have won.

As for the future, Rolison says he will work hard to continue decreasing the city’s deficit and building the relationship with the Poughkeepsie city school district.