PINE BLUFF — Tuesday’s mayoral election in Pine Bluff provided a rare occurrence that can be explained only by an Arkansas law governing elections.
Not one of the nine candidates for mayor received more than 50 percent of the votes.
But a runoff election won’t be held. The reason: Arkansas Code Annotated 7-5-106.
The code — amended in 2011 by the Arkansas Legislature — states, in part, that “A candidate who receives a plurality of forty percent (40%) of the votes cast must obtain at least twenty percent (20%) more of the votes cast than the second-place candidate for the municipal office to avoid a runoff general election against the second-place candidate.”
Political newcomer Debe Hollingsworth, who has spent her career as a business executive, defeated incumbent Mayor Carl A. Redus Jr. by 5,319 votes, earning nearly 50 percent of the total vote and a more-than 30 percent margin of victory over Redus. In all, 16,815 votes were cast in the mayoral race.
Complete but unofficial results for the top two mayoral candidates, with slightly updated numbers released Thursday, showed Hollingsworth with 8,323 votes (49.5 percent). Redus had 3,004 votes, or 17.9 percent. This means no need for a runoff election in Pine Bluff — unlike in North Little Rock in Pulaski County, where four candidates vied for that city’s top job.
In the North Little Rock election, a runoff will be held Nov. 27 between state Rep. Tracy Steele and city administrator Joe Smith. Steele received 11,524 votes. Smith got 9,820 — close enough to require a runoff.
Trey Ashcraft, chairman of the Jefferson County Election Commission, said he never thought that Pine Bluff ’s mayoral race would be decided by such a wide margin because there were so many candidates.
“I fully expected a runoff,” Ashcraft said Thursday at a commission meeting. “We did not think this new election law would apply in the mayor’s race. It’s certainly very interesting.”
Election Commissioner Stu Soffer said Hollingsworth’s win “avoided another contentious run-up to an election. It’s settled now, and that’s it.”
But not everything is settled in Jefferson County.
The election commission discussed a forthcoming runoff election in the Pine Bluff Ward 1 alderman race and the city treasurer race. Lloyd A. Holcomb Jr., son of retiring Ward 1 Alderman Irene Holcomb, will face off against Jefferson County Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll on Nov. 27.
In the race for Pine Bluff treasurer, Janice L. Roberts will face off against Greg Gustek on Nov. 27.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 11/09/2012