IN SHORT: Winners to be certified next Friday for Pulaski County Special School District, but runoffs for Lonoke County positions are set for Oct. 10.
By SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer
Days after the election, it’s still too close to call the winner of the Pulaski County Special School District’s School Board race between incumbent Ronnie Calva and challenger Charlie Wood of Sherwood.
In addition, school board races in Lonoke and Cabot are headed for runoffs Tuesday, Oct. 10.
According to the Pulaski County Election Commission, Wood still leads Calva by a single vote, 260 to 259. The results won’t be official until next Friday, when the Pulaski County Election Commission counts overseas ballots.
“It’s not over yet,” said Election Commission director Susan Inman. “No winner has been determined because of the (10) outstanding military ballots from that zone.”
She said the ballots had to have been voted by election day and her office must receive them within 10 days of the election.
Until then, the vote will not be certified and it would be too early for anyone to have asked for a recount.
Depending on what, if any ballots, are returned, either man could win or it could be a tie, which would result a run-off election in their zone. Calva was appointed last year to finish Don Baker’s term.
Danny Gililland ran unopposed for PCSSD’s Zone 5 seat vacated by Carol Burgett.
Two Lonoke County races won’t be decided until the Oct. 10 runoff election.
Cabot School Board president David M. Hipp fell two votes shy of winning outright a four-person race for his seat in Cabot.
“You hate to have to be in a runoff because it’s an extra cost to have another election.”
Also running for that seat were Joyce Bender, who received 46 votes and Arthur Evans with 20 votes. There were also five write-in votes. Fred Campbell ran unopposed for Cabot School Board’s Position 6 seat.
In the six-person race for Zone 3, Position 6 for the Lonoke School Board, Cindy Burns lead with 66 votes and Darrell Park had 65 votes. Roger Lynch garnered 35 votes, Janice Perkins received 23 votes, Rudy Kurz got 12 and Shannon Holman got nine.
Burns and Park are in the run-off on Oct. 10.
Also in Lonoke, incumbent Michael Linton ran unopposed for the Zone 2, Position 7 board seat.
Early voting for the Cabot and Lonoke school board run-offs starts 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. this Monday through Tuesday, Oct. 10 at the Lonoke County Courthouse.
Polls will open 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 10.
Early voting will be closed on Monday, Oct. 9 due to Columbus Day.
Uncontested races this week included Robert Jenkins for an at-large position on the Beebe School Board, C. K. Parker Jr., for Position 2, District 3 in Carlisle and Judy Dillow ran unopposed for the Zone 4 seat in the England School District.
Local voters also approved maintaining millage rates for their districts.
