The mayor of Lady Lake was knocked off Tuesday by a fellow Villager in an election marked by heavy turnout.

Villager Mike Sage prevailed in the Ward 5 commission race over incumbent Jim Rietz. Both men live on the Historic Side of The Villages.

Sage, a former resident of Connecticut who has lived in The Villages for many years, attributed his victory to old-fashioned politicking.

“I was successful because I knocked on every door in Ward 5,” Sage said.

There were a total of 609 votes cast in the off-year election. Sage collected 415 votes to Rietz’s 194 votes. It represented a 68.14 to 31.86 percent split of the votes.

Sage was at the lone polling station, the Paradise Recreation Center, from 6:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. He said he was enthusiastically greeted by voters.

Village James Rietz has been chosen as Lady Lakes new mayor
Mayor James Rietz was defeated Tuesday in his re-election bid.

“They said, ‘I voted for you, Mike, because you came to my house,’” Sage said.

He said poll workers told him 150 voters were turned away Tuesday because they were from Ward 4, which is also located on the Historic Side of The Villages. They falsely believed they could cast a ballot in the race.

Sage said participation in the Ward 5 race on Tuesday doubled from what it was in the last contest.

The day’s voting was complicated by a water main break that closed the pool and shut down activities at the recreation center.

Sage will be sworn in and seated on Nov. 20.

The Lady Lake Commission members choose the mayor. The mayor is not directly elected by the citizens.