BRANSON, Mo – Former Mayor Karen Best served Branson from 2015 until this year; Branson now welcomes Edd Akers, Branson’s new mayor, to serve the city.

Akers is a man with a jolly demeanor; he is full of stories to tell and he tells them with great expression. “In my career I use to work at Silver Dollar City a long, long time ago,” Akers said. He worked there in 1965 with Peter Herschend. Akers’ page on the Branson government website has a photo of him smiling just as he does when he shares his fond memories.

“I decided that there were some things that seemed to be changing that I felt might not be beneficial in the long run. I really didn’t see as much visioning, people looking to the future,” he said. This is the Mayor’s nutshell explanation for why he decided to run for office in Branson. Akers is not new to Branson; he actually said his roots are in Branson.

“I’m a native here, I was actually born in the back of a general store; there weren’t any cars, so the doctor came out by horse and buggy to deliver me,” he said. Mayor Akers said the Branson culture is his favorite aspect of the city. “We have a lot of people that come here, and originally they come here perhaps just looking at the dollars, wanting to make a buck. Then they realize that Branson’s got a culture. It’s family, it’s people working together to get things done. From a Christian perspective, and my faith is a deep part of my life, Branson is looked at by a lot of people from the outside as a light on a hill,” he said.

Akers said he is a person who likes to finish things. He added that he was somewhat saddened by how the Ride The Ducks tragedy was not given a memorial. He said he has ideas about how to aid in giving victims’ family members a place to go honor their loved ones.

Akers said while he does not have any strong voting power, he hopes to see the aldermen, department heads and himself come together and focus on what is truly best for Branson. Those who want updates on any new happenings in Branson can sign up for notifications on their website.