Forrest City Ward 1 saw a pair of races decided for alderman on the Forrest City City Council Tuesday.
In the Position 1 race, Forrest City Firefighter Henry Peacock unseated four-term incumbent Roy Hancock, and in the race for Position 2 on the council, Cecil Twillie won over his challenger, Clifton Avant.
In the race for Position 1, Peacock beat Hancock by 233 votes, taking the city council seat with 591 votes to Hancock's 358 votes. There were 949 ballots cast in this race.
Peacock thanked the voters for their support. "I just feel happy and blessed, and I look forward to working with the other city council members and working to try to implement the issues that were my platform for this election." he said. "I definitely want to thank the people who voted for me and those that supported me and worked with me not only on this election, but both of my campaigns this year."
Though defeated, Hancock was upbeat following the announcement of the Ward 1 box last night.
"First, I want to give an honor to God and tell the people of Ward 1 and Forrest City that I appreciate the eight years that they have allowed me to serve. I want to thank those people that have helped me and worked with me along the way, and I would like to compliment Mr. Peacock for a good race. The people voted, and I have to honor their vote," Hancock said.
"I came into this position with a good spirit, and I will leave with that same good spirit. My main concern has always been wanting to see Forrest City continue to grow and I will continue to work with the citizens of Ward 1 and the citizens of Forrest City to see that happen," Hancock said.
In the Position 2 race, Cecil Twillie kept his office by defeating challenger Clifton Avant by a 294-vote margin of 616-322.
Contacted last night after the issue was no longer in doubt, Twillie said he had a lot of thanking to do.
"My first comment is that I'd like to congratulate my opponent, Mr. Avant, for running a very clean race, and I tried to do the same," he said. "I appreciate the people of Ward 1 for signing my petition allowing me to run, and I appreciate them for supporting me over the years and supporting me today. I trust I will serve in the best interests of them and the city. Thank them so very much, and I owe a debt of gratitude to all the folks of Ward 1."
Avant did not return phone calls seeking comment on the election.
Between 42 and 43 percent of the registered voters in Ward 1 voted in the Position 1 alderman race.
Incumbents won in both Forrest City Ward 2 alderman races.
In Ward 2, Position 1, Mary Jeffers defeated challenger George Wise by a vote of 733 to 271.
Contacted this morning, Jeffers thanked all of her supporters.
"To the voters and the entire community, I appreciate your support," she said. "I think we did a very clean race. And, if anyone has any problems or anything that you want me to check out for you, call me. Leave a message, I'll get back to you."
Wise took his defeat good-naturedly.
"I went down like the Titanic, but I tried," he said with a smile. "I wish I could have won, but I feel like I want to congratulate Mary Jeffers. I feel she ran a quality campaign and I tried to, too. I just wish her the best of luck, and I think whoever is in there now, we all ought to get together and support them. I just appreciate all the people who did get out. I know it was bad weather, but a lot of people came out and voted, and I did appreciate that"
Around 42 percent of the registered voters in Ward 2 voted in the Jeffers-Wise race.
Louise Fields successfully defended her Ward 2 Position 2 seat on the Forrest City Council. Fields was challenged by former council member Glenn Ford. Fields took 604 votes of the 1022 cast in the race. Ford received 418 votes.
Fields stated that she wanted to thank all of those who helped in her reelection effort.
"I was very pleased with the outcome last night," said Fields. I would like to thank God first of all for allowing me to prevail. I want to thank everyone who voted for me and I also want to thank everyone in my ward. Even if you didn't vote for me, I am your councilman and I will bring your problems and concerns to the council. Your concerns are my concerns, naturally, because I live in the ward. I would also like to thank both my daughters, Charlotte and Felicia, for all of their help with my campaign."
Ford was gracious in defeat and stated he saw encouraging signs while campaigning.
"I am disappointed in the outcome last night, but the voters have spoken," said Ford this morning. "I hope that those elected can do what is best for the city. I would like to add that while I was out campaigning yesterday, I saw a lot of younger people out voting and getting involved. It was encouraging to see them there and getting interested in politics. They will be replacing us someday as candidates. I encourage all young people to get involved in politics and vote. The race is behind us now, and we should move forward to improve our city."
Incumbent Alderman Steve Hollowell held onto his Ward 3, Position 1 seat, defeating Danny Capps by an unofficial vote of 603-494 in Tuesday's general election.
Hollowell credited hard work and friends for his victory.
"I'd just like to thank all the voters of Ward 3 who supported me, and my friends and my wife. I just ran a grass-roots, door-to-door campaign, and I think it paid off."
Capps also wanted to thank his supporters when contacted Tuesday night.
"I'd like to thank everybody who voted for me," Capps said. "I guess we're stuck with Steve for the next two years. He ran a very successful race. I had 494 friends who voted for me, and I want them to know that I appreciate each and every one of them."
However, this morning Capps said he is considering challenging the vote. An election commission meeting was planned for this afternoon at which time the challenge could be made.
According to the unofficial totals, almost 50 percent of the registered voters in Ward 3 voted in the alderman's race.
Brent Ponder, the other Ward 3 alderman, was the only city
councilman unopposed in this election.
Alderman Roger Breeding was successful Tuesday in keeping his spot on the Forrest City City Council, taking 63 percent of the vote in the race for the Ward 4, Position 1 seat.
Breeding defeated Bobby Woodard by 271 votes, winning 672 to 401, with 1,073 votes being cast in this election.
This morning Breeding thanked the voters and his supporters for the win. "I certainly want to thank the voters and those that supported me through this election. I will continue to speak up for the people of Forrest City. Our future depends on economic growth and educating our young people to be productive members of society," Breeding said. "If I can be of service to any citizen they can feel free to contact me, and again, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve the citizens of Ward 4 and the citizens of Forrest City."
Woodard also expressed a desire to see economic growth in Forrest City and wished Breeding luck in his future on the council. "I would just like to thank the voters for their support, and I would like to wish my opponent good luck as he serves on the council. My main concern is seeing Forrest City grow economically so that we can also grow in other areas and hopefully the council will work together to bring that about," Woodard said.
Chris Oswalt, a former councilman, defeated incumbent John Gadberry for the Ward 4 Position 2 seat on the city council. Oswalt won the seat with 633 of the 1098 votes cast in the Ward 4 Position 2 race. Gadberry received 465 votes.
Oswalt stated that he enjoyed this campaign. "Of all of the campaigns that I have run, I had the most fun this year," commented Oswalt. "I want to thank the people who supported me in this election, especially my family. There were a lot of people helping me and supporting me in this effort. Some even went door-to-door with me. I appreciate all of the help and support I received. Thanks to all who voted me onto the council again. I want everyone to know that if they have any problems or concerns, please contact me, and I will work on getting them fixed."
Gadberry thanked those who voted for him and said he would miss being a member of the council.
"I would first like to thank the 465 people who voted for me," began Gadberry. "Second, I would like to thank all of the citizens for allowing me to have the privilege of representing them on the city council. The city council of the future needs to hold the city together. They need to be strong and stable leaders. This city and the future of this city does not belong to one person. I enjoyed holding the position I held and will miss serving the citizens of Forrest City. I plan on staying in politics, but for now I will enjoy the break."
The St. Francis County Election Commission walked into Tuesday's election as relative newborns after assuming their positions a little over three weeks ago following the resignations of two longtime election commission members.
According to Frederick Freeman, election commission chairman, the cooperation from the previous commission and election workers eased the transition considerably.
"I'm very pleased with the cooperation that we received from the previous commission members along with the current committee members and the election workers. We had some issues, and we had some equipment problems that will need to be resolved sooner rather than later, but overall things went well. We also have some facilities problems that will have to be discussed with the appropriate courthouse officials before the next election. As far as the three new committee members taking over 17 or 18 days out, we're very happy with the way things turned out. We can do better and will do better with more time to prepare," Freeman said.
While the commission made preparations to order additional ballots for municipal races in Forrest City and the style one ballots for rural races, copies still had to be made Tuesday to satisfy the election day rush. While Freeman this morning could not give an accurate total of the number of ballots copied, he said ballots had to be taken to approximately six different boxes throughout the county.
"We had maybe six boxes that involved getting additional ballots to, and those revolved around pretty much the outlying areas of the county. As far as the actual ballot order is concerned, that was done as prescribed by law by the previous members of the commission. We ordered additional ballots but turnout was so great that we just didn't have enough," Freeman said.
The additional ballots kept election workers busy throughout the night handcounting them.
The first of several meetings of the election commission was held at 1 p.m. today with the primary focus of the meeting scheduled to be on provisional ballots, according to Freeman. A provisional ballot constitutes any ballot that is challenged by a candidate or poll watcher or is offered to voters when verification of that voters registration status is not readily available. Freeman said that there were between 75 and 90 provisional ballots cast Tuesday and those were to be dealt with at Wednesday's meeting.
Freeman also answered questions revolving around possible challenges to Tuesday's election. According to Freeman, no challenges have been issued thus far but candidates have contacted committee members regarding possible challenges.
"We have received a couple of calls from individuals exploring the possibility of challenging the results. We have made them aware that the ballots won't be certified for several days and that the commission will be meeting over the next few days so that we can make sure that we have all of our information correct. We have told them that we will make available all of the information they need to make a sound decision," said Freeman.
While election totals did not hit the 10,000 mark predicted Tuesday by St. Francis County Clerk Elizabeth Smith, they surpassed totals for the 2000 general election by more than 600 votes, topping the 9,000 mark. According to preliminary totals from the commission, 9,239 voters cast ballots with 3,648 early votes cast in the two-week period which ended Monday.
Smith said there were more early votes cast in this election than ever before.
Voters in St. Francis County went along with the state as a whole on three amendments and a referred question in Tuesday's election. In two races, the local vote exactly mirrored the statewide percentages.
Local voters rejected Proposed Constitutional Amendment 1, which would have extended term limits of state officials. Locally, the measure failed by 3,407 votes for and 5,333 votes against, or by about 61 percent to 39 percent. Statewide, the measure failed 70 to 30 percent.
Proposed Constitutional Amendment 2, which gives the Legislature the power to issue economic development bonds passed locally 5,379 to 3,171, or about 63 percent to 37 percent. Statewide, the amendment also passed 63-37 percent.
Proposed Constitutional Amendment 3, which defines gay marriage as the union between one man and one woman, passed in St. Francis County by an overwhelming 6,673 to 2,192, or about 75 percent to 25 percent. Statewide, the amendment also won 75 to 25 percent.
Referred Question No. 1, which would have raised the minimum school millage for maintenance and operation from 25 mills to 28 mills, was soundly defeated in St. Francis County, 1,668 to 5,595, or about 78 percent to 22 percent. Statewide, the measure lost 70 to 30 percent. Voters had imposed a minimum 25-mill rate in 1996.
The church-backed initiative to constitutionally ban gay marriage had solid approval in the Bible belt state. The measure was put on the ballot after 200,000 Arkansans signed petitions seeking its consideration.
John Thomas, spokesman for the Arkansas Marriage Amendment Committee, said the amendment's passage was due in large part to support from churches and other civic groups.
''The important thing is that activist courts and activist judges that want to redefine marriage won't be able to. The people in Arkansas want marriage to stay as it has always been,'' he said.
In rejecting a Legislature-referred amendment to extend the terms of state legislators, voters decided to keep one of the most restrictive term-limits laws in the nation.
Save Term Limits spokesman Tim Jacob said the vote against Amendment 1 was a reflection of Arkansans' desire for ''a Legislature that looks more like Arkansas.''
Jacob said the vote also was a sign that voters remembered public-corruption scandals involving long-term legislators that marred the state Legislature in the 1990s.
Jim Pledger, chairman of Arkansans for Term Limits That Work, which worked to get voter approval of the measure, said the measure's rejection was disappointing.
''It is a shame that the defeat of Amendment 1 was bought by an out-of-state special interest group that bombarded Arkansans with more than half a million dollars in advertising,'' he said.
Amendment 2, which allows the Legislature to issue economic development bonds without a vote of the people, was touted by supporters as a tool to help the state land an automobile plant or other major industrial development.
Jim Pickens, former director of the Arkansas Department of Economic Development, said passage would help bring jobs to the state and campaigned for the passage of the measure.
''Voters sent a strong message they want to take charge of their future. They are tired of seeing good jobs pass them by,'' Pickens said.
Arkansans voted down a fourth issue on the ballot, which would have raised minimum property tax rates to benefit public schools.
The gay marriage amendment received the most attention before the election and Pickens, Jacob and others had worried voters wouldn't be sufficiently informed about the other amendments.
Aaron Luistro, 24, a Little Rock college student, said he voted for the gay-marriage ban because of his religious convictions. ''I grew up in the church,'' he said.
Clare Seyer of Little Rock, a travel consultant, said she voted against the Marriage Amendment. ''I'm against legislating morality. Moral issues need to be left to the individual,'' she said.
And Liz Smith, 32, an arts professor at the University of Central Arkansas, said the proposal would add ''write ... discrimination into the constitution.''
According to a survey of Arkansas voters Tuesday for The Associated Press, Amendment 3 enjoyed a 9-1 margin among Republican voters and 7-3 among Democrats. Married voters favored the amendment by a margin of 4-1.
Same-sex marriage has long been illegal in Arkansas, but Amendment 3 was touted by backers as a means to keep a judge from overturning the law. Opponents of the measure included members of the gay community and others, many of whom argued that the measure was too restrictive and could wind up banning other types of civil unions.
The fight over extending term limits included accusations by opponents of the measure that amendment backers were trying to confuse voters. But organizers behind the proposal made an economic argument, saying that having office holders with longer tenure would help the state strike deals to bring in new big employers.
The group Save Our Term Limits drew a pair of ethics complaints during the campaign, filed by the group that backed the proposal. Save Our Term Limits was accused of failing to disclose who paid for its anti-Amendment 1 advertising. The group Arkansans for Term Limits That Work earlier complained to the state Ethics Commission that Amendment 1 opponents failed to fully disclose campaign finances.
The voters of St. Francis County spoke loudly Tuesday as they gave St. Francis County Sheriff Dave Parkman a landslide victory for his 10th term as county sheriff and collector.
Parkman took 70 percent of the vote last night with a 6,432-to-2,716 win over Forrest City Police Department officer John Heckler, according to preliminary totals provided by the St. Francis County Election Commission.
As numbers began to hint at another victory, Parkman thanked his supporters for their support this year and in years past.
"Well, as usual I would like to thank the citizens for their vote of support and confidence in this department and my leadership. I would also like to thank the members of my staff that came out tonight to support me and for their support over the years. We couldn't do this without my staff and they have to be thanked," Parkman said.
"I also want to thank my family for their support, especially my daughters for being here for me not just through one election this year, but through two," he added.
Parkman was opposed in the May Primary by George Cochran.
Parkman swept through the precincts Tuesday, winning every box. He also claimed the early voting tally by more than 1,500 votes, with a 2,547 to 1,040 victory there.
Heckler was congratulatory this morning in comments.
"I just want to congratulate Dave on his victory, and I would like to thank my supporters for being their and working hard on this election. I really think I did pretty well for my first time out and I will be back in 2006."