PINE BLUFF - The Jefferson County Election Commission voted 2-1 Wednesday night to appeal a recent ruling by a circuit judge declaring that Pine Bluff’s mayoral, city clerk and city treasurer elections should not be held until 2016.
Election Commissioner Cynthia Sims and Election Commission Chairman Ted Davis voted for the appeal. Election Commissioner Stu Soffer voted against the appeal.
Pine Bluff Mayor Debe Hollingsworth sued the Election Commission last month after the body voted to include former Pine Bluff Mayor Carl Redus Jr. and candidates for city clerk and treasurer on the ballot for this year, despite the fact that those races aren’t supposed to be held until 2016.
Redus has argued that because Pine Bluff’s population dropped below 50,000, the city needs to reset its election cycle. Arkansas cities whose populations are below 50,000 hold their elections for mayor, city treasurer and city clerk during nonpresidential election years.
But the law doesn’t spell out what happens to the election cycle when a city that has been above 50,o00 residents drops below that mark.
Retired Circuit Judge Ted Capeheart of Ashdown - appointed by Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Jim Hannah to hear Hollingsworth’s lawsuit after Jefferson County’s judges recused - ruled April 3 that the elections should be held in 2016, not this year.
Arkansas, Pages 10 on 04/10/2014