Mayor, council seats decided
Published 1:14 pm Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tuesday’s election featured two general election seats, that of mayor and council member for precinct two, and also a new primary that decided who would be the council member for precinct three. In unofficial reeturns Republican Ed Pinero won the mayor position, independent Lynn Bogan Bumpers is precinct two’s new council member and Jason Todd Lane is the council member for precinct three.
Former city manager Pinero lead with 1,144 votes, or 65 percent, to Democratic State Sen. Ezell Lee’s 607 votes, or 35 percent.
Bumpers received 277 votes, or 64 percent, to incumbent Democrat Donald Parker’s 156 votes, or 36 percent.
The new primary was the result of a contest filed by precinct three incumbent Republican Anna Turnage after evidence showed a number of voters who turned out to vote on May 5, were denied the right to vote. A lengthy hearing ended with the decision by the Republican Executive Committee to allow a new primary. She faced against fellow Republican Jason Todd Lane. Lane won, receiving 115 votes, or 53 percent, to Turnage’s 101 votes, or 47 percent.
Republican Executive Committee chair person Cecil Watkins said the polling process for the new primary went well overall. The only problems revolved around a few voters attempting to vote in the Republican primary when they had voted in the original primary as Democrats.
Results were held up until about 11 p.m. as precinct two’s voter box came in late and the Republican Executive Committee wanted to finalize precinct three’s box, which included affidavits, before the night ended.
City Clerk Priscilla Daniel said the committee wanted to reconcile the affidavit votes Tuesday night to finish the box, and to do that, they had to contact Circuit Court Clerk Vickie Hariel.