By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
With all ballots counted in Lonoke County, it looks like former Cabot Mayor Mickey “Stubby” Stumbaugh lost his bid to get back into city politics, embattled Alderman Becky Lemaster is forced into a possible run-off and Lonoke County Sheriff Jim Roberson is re-elected.
Incumbent Tom Armstrong pushed past Stumbaugh for the Ward 3, Position 1 seat by 500 votes. Armstrong garnered 4,019 votes to Stumbaugh’s 3,519.
Meanwhile, Lemaster came in second in a three-way race for her Ward 4, Position 1 seat, but leader Ann Gilliam ended up 1 percent shy of garnering 50 percent of the vote. However, some absentee ballots still need to be counted.
Gilliam received 3,463 votes to Lemaster’s 2,377, while Paul “Bucky” Mayfield gathered 1,206 votes. (See results on p. 12A.)
In the other Cabot council races, Rick Prentiss, with 3,597 votes, edged out Teri Miessner, who netted 3,382 votes, for the
Ward 3, Position 2 seat.
For Ward 4, Position 2 seat, incumbent Lisa Brickell bested Ryan Flynn, 4,153 to 2,711.
In the county-wide races, Republican Sheriff Jim Roberson beat back a challenge from Democrat Steve Rich, despite a last-minute revelation of problems with Act 309 prisoners at the county jail. Roberson garnered 15,087 votes to Rich’s 7,728.
Democrat Walls McCrary avoided a run-off in a three-way race for state representative Dist. 15 seat by capturing 55 percent of the vote. Walls received 5,210 votes, compared to Republican Doug Hatcher’s 3,622 and independent candidate Trent Eilts’ 649 votes.
In the race for county clerk, Democratic incumbent Dawn Porterfield beat Republican challenger Cassandra Pitts, 11,329 votes to 10,875.
In the circuit clerk’s race, Democratic incumbent Deborah Oglesby turned back a challenge from Republican Denise Brown, 12,938 votes to 9,560.
In the four contested races for Lonoke County Quorum Court, incumbent Republican Lynn Weeks Clark lost her Justice of the Peace Dist. 5 seat to Democratic challenger Barry Weathers. Weathers received 1,000 votes to Clark’s 974.
Incumbent Dist. 2 JP Jeanette Minton, a Republican, defeated Democratic challenger Vincent Ables, 1,030 votes to 414.
Dist.13 incumbent Mark Edwards, a Republican, stood off a challenge from former Democratic JP Kenny Ridgeway, 1,487 to 818.
Dist. 1 JP Jodie Grisham Troutman, a Democrat, got 2,277 votes against 34 write-in votes.
Other races around the county included Ward 1, Pos. 6 in Austin, where incumbent Donna Soellner kept her seat, getting 257 votes to challenger Steve Bruno’s 167.
In Ward, incumbent Charles K. Gastineau also kept his Ward 3, Pos. 1 seat, beating challenger Ron Bissett, 540 votes to 256.
In Keo, Gloria Stachurski bested David Lanehart by just two votes for the Position 2 seat, 63 votes to 61.
For constable of Oak Grove Township, Republican Vincent Scarlata got 908 votes to Democrat Michael Sipe’s 567. In the Gray Township constable race, Republican William Tony Southerland got 566 votes to Democrat Wesley Harris’ 450.
Running unopposed were County Judge Charlie Troutman, Treasurer Karol DePriest, Assessor Jerry Adams, Collector Patricia McCallie, Coroner Sherry Stracener, JP Dist. 3 Larry Odom, JP Dist. 4 Timothy Lemons, JP Dist. 6 Alexis Malham, JP Dist. 7 Adam Sims, JP Dist. 8 Roger Lynch, JP Dist. Dist. 9 Robert “Sonny” Moery, JP Dist. 10 Bill Ryker, JP. Dist. 11 Mike Dolan and JP Dist. 12 Henry Lang