LITTLE ROCK — CORRECTION: North Little Rock Alderman Jimmy Phillips will be 64 on Dec. 7. His age was incorrect in an article Wednesday on a city runoff election.
Steve Baxter upended North Little Rock Alderman Jimmy Phillips to win a Ward 3 City Council position in Tuesday’s runoff election.
Phillips, who was appointed to the council in January to fill a vacancy, led a four-man field in the Nov. 2 general election by 174 votes over Baxter.
With all nine precincts reporting, the unofficial runoff results were: Baxter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467 Phillips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Baxter’s victory is the third time in the past four election year runoffs in the city’s Ward 3 that the leader in the general election lost in the runoff three weeks later.
“It was hard work, man,” said Baxter, 50, who had placed third out of five in the 2008 alderman’s election. “We continued to go door-to-door. We put out signs reminding people when the vote was. We made phone calls the last couple of days. We just never quit.”
Both candidates said during the runoff campaign that getting voters out, especially for a single election during Thanksgiving week would be their biggest challenge in the runoff race. Also, this election had a lower voter turnout than the previous two elections.
“From what I’ve seen, people just don’t go door-to-door that second time,” Baxter said. “We selected a list of who were the most potential voters. We went back and knocked on their doors and tried to get another face-to-face with them.”
Baxter, an aircraft maintenance supervisor in the Air National Guard at Little Rock Air Force Base, credited his mother, Barbara Martin, for her campaigning ability and his son, Chris, 28, who researched successful campaigns and helped devise a strategy to follow.
“He was really big on the strategy part,” Baxter said. “He’d say ‘Look, Dad, they say this works and this works.’ I would say, ‘Fine, I’ll leave it in your hands.’”
Phillips, 66, who recently retired as co-owner of Phillips Brothers Towing, said Tuesday night that he was “disappointed” but that he would continue to work on city issues.
“I got in for the good of the city, and I hope he’s in it for the same thing,” said Phillips, who asked for Baxter’s number and called him shortly afterward. “If this is what people want, I congratulate him, and I want him to do good for the city.
“I’ll still be in the background and still be out here helping the city doing whatever I can do,” Phillips added. “I’ll be sitting out there now watching him.”
The North Little Rock City Council appointed Phillips in January to fill a Ward 3 position left vacant when former Alderman Cary Gaines resigned. Gaines faces trial in federal court next year on charges of conspiracy to defraud the city.
“I was honored to be able to serve and do what I have done for the city,” Phillips said of his short term that will end Dec. 31.
Baxter, who was among 10 who applied to the council, said he believed that the people made their choice this time.
“I would say it had a part to do with it, I really do think so,” Baxter said of the appointment process that overlooked him.
Baxter said Phillips and Alderman Sam Baggett called to congratulate him.
“We had a good relationship through the whole election,” Phillips said of Baxter. “I’m disappointed, but, still, all I’m wanting is what is good for the city.”
Baggett, the other Ward 3 alderman, faces trial Dec. 7 in federal court on charges related to his role as a former federally licensed firearms dealer. Baggett’s charges include providing firearms and ammunition to a convicted felon.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 11/24/2010