Mayors, County Races Line Runoff Ballot On Tuesday

Voters head back to the polls Tuesday, November 25th to wrap up the 2014 campaign, with dozens of city and county races set to decide.

In Arkansas, a runoff is held when no candidate receives more than 50.1 percent of the vote in a general or primary election, which affects mostly municipal and some county races.

If that happens, the top two finishers move to the runoff.

Voters around the state will elect new mayors, while voters in Cross and Garland counties will decide county races.

NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
In Blytheville, incumbent James Sanders and council member Tommy Abbott will face off in the mayor’s race.

Sanders, who is in his first term, picked up 44 percent of the vote Nov. 4 while Abbott got 47 percent of the vote.

To the west, another incumbent faces a challenge Tuesday. Hoxie Mayor Lanny Tinker and challenger Dennis Coggins will run for the seat. Tinker, who is also in his first term, got 41 percent of the vote earlier this month while Coggins got 35 percent.

Also, independents Jerry Brewster and Mike Davis are seeking the District 8 position on the Cross County Quorum Court. The Wynne-area seat is the only county race to be decided Tuesday in Northeast Arkansas.

To the south, Larry S. Bryant and Christopher Oswalt are running for the mayor’s race in Forrest City. Bryant, the incumbent, got 44 percent of the vote Nov. 4, followed by Oswalt with 26 percent.

CENTRAL ARKANSAS
The voters will be busy Tuesday as voters in Garland and Saline counties decide races.

Incumbent Jill Dabbs will face challenger Randy Cox Tuesday for the mayor’s job in Bryant. Dabbs, who won the seat in 2010, finished first Nov. 4, picking up 47 percent of the vote. Cox was second with 41 percent.

Another incumbent – Hot Springs Mayor Ruth Carney – faces a challenge Tuesday from Pat McCabe. The race between Carney and McCabe went tooth and nail Nov. 4, as both candidates picked up 41 percent of the vote.

There is also a sheriff’s race in Garland County with Republican Fred Hawthorn facing independent Mike McCormick. Hawthorn finished first Nov. 4, picking up 44 percent of the vote, with McCormick getting 38 percent.

Eddie Jones will also face Bill Russell for the open mayor’s seat in Bauxite. Jones and Russell were the top two finishers in the three-person race.

NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
There are at least a half-dozen mayor’s races on tap for voters in north central and northwest Arkansas to decide.

Jerry Jackson and Dan Sherrell are running for mayor in Harrison, while Peter Christie and Jim Wozniak are running for the same job in Bella Vista.

Down into the River Valley in Russellville, Randy Horton and Tyronne Williamson are vying for the mayor’s job there.

Jimmy Clark and Paul Muse are running for the open mayor’s seat in Heber Springs. The winner will replace Jackie McPherson, who did not seek another term.

McPherson, the Democratic nominee for First District Congress, was defeated by Republican incumbent Rep. Rick Crawford in the November general election.

Ron Sterling and Roger D. Gardner are running for mayor in Mountain View, while Republican Beth Calhoun and Democrat Bob Carpenter are both vying for the mayor’s office in Bald Knob.

OTHER RACES
Based on lists on the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office website, the following are a list of other races slated for Tuesday.

· Alma Mayor – Ed Thicksten and Keith Greene.

· Bentonville City Council, Ward 3, Pos. 2 – Bill Burckart and Kristy Reed.

· Bentonville City Council, Ward 4, Pos. 2 – Jim Webb and Jim Grider.

· Camden Mayor – Marie Trisollini and Chris Claybaker.

· Corning Mayor – Rob Young and J.H. Ermert.

· Earle Mayor – Carolyn M. Jones and Otis Davis.

· Marion City Council Jasper District 3 – Sherry Holliman and Don Hanks.

· Osceola City Council, Ward 3, Position 1 – Sally Wilson and Torian Bell.

· Texarkana City Council, Ward 5 – Barbara S. Miner and Danny Jewell.

Polls are open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.