Political newcomer Ron Harris was leading against former alderman John Parker in Tuesday's election for an open Ward 3 seat on the North Little Rock City Council, according to unofficial results.
A North Little Rock Planning Commission member for the past eight years, this was the first election campaign for Harris, vice president and co-owner of Summerwood Inc., a custom-home builder. Harris, 61, is retired from Entergy Arkansas, Inc., as its area customer service and account manager.
Parker is a former Ward 3 alderman, city planning commissioner and member of the city's Board of Adjustment and Appeals. Parker, 69, is district sales and circulation manager for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
As of 11:30 p.m., unofficial, incomplete results were:
Harris 2,427
Parker 2,149
The Pulaski County Election Commission didn't provide the number of precincts reporting at that time.
Harris will replace Alderman Bruce Foutch, who didn't run for re-election because of health reasons. Foutch encouraged Harris to run and endorsed his campaign.
The Ward 3 alderman's race was the only contested municipal position on the ballot in North Little Rock.
Harris has said he campaigned by walking neighborhoods and knocking on doors to introduce himself to voters. Parker's past election experience gave him the edge in name recognition. Parker is a perennial candidate for Ward 3 alderman and ran for mayor in 2012 at the same time he was running for alderman.
"I hit it pretty hard in the western corridor, Crystal Hill and the growth areas in North Little Rock," Harris said Tuesday night, referring to the city's western side bordering Maumelle. "I hit that pretty hard first, then I went to the heart of the ward in Levy, Amboy and Belwood. I think I really do appreciate the fact that Mr. Parker threw his name in the hat because I think it made me a better candidate."
Parker said Tuesday night that he was not surprised by the outcome.
"I'm not disappointed at all," he said. "I think he [Harris] is a good man. Most of those votes for me are from people who know me and who voted for me before and will vote for me again if I run again. Those are people who vote for me because they believe in me and want me to be their alderman."
North Little Rock aldermen serve four-year terms and are paid $10,609 annually. The winner will be sworn in Jan. 1.
Metro on 11/09/2016