By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Tuesday is Election Day in the runoff for Cabot alderman Ward 3, Position 1.
Doyle Tullos, who earned more votes than his two opponents in the general election but fell short of the required 50 percent, is facing off against Wendell Gibson.
Lonoke County Clerk Larry Clarke said, as of 4 p.m. Thursday, 262 people had early voted. “That’s not too bad,” for a runoff, he noted.
Clarke also said 91 voted Tuesday, 94 voted Wednesday, and 77 voted Thursday. He expects turnout to hit about 500 voters.
Alderman Angie Jones finished third in the general election earlier this month, losing her bid for re-election.
The official results were 2,490 (41.62 percent) for Tullos; 1,817 (30.37 percent) for Gibson and 1,676 (28.01 percent) for Jones.
Early voting for the runoff is at Re:New Community Church, 1122 S. Second St., from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday.
On Tuesday, normal polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
The sites are Grace Fellowship Church at 601 W. Elm St. for Ward 1 residents, Cabot First Baptist Church at 204 N. Third St. for Ward 2 residents, Veterans Park Community Center at 508 N. Lincoln St. for Ward 3 residents and Mount Carmel Baptist Church at 163 Mount Carmel Road for Ward 4 residents.
Tullos is confident he will win. The candidate has been at the polls every day and said, “I’m going to be there until it’s all over Tuesday.”
He also said, “It’s going well…I think they want to put the best qualified person in office, and I have the best credentials for office.”
Jones, who will be leaving office on Dec. 31, has endorsed him.
She told The Leader, “I want someone in there the council can work with. I know that (Tullos is) somebody who loves Cabot and is wanting to be in there for the right reasons… He’ll do a good job.”
Gibson said he was at the polls Thursday and is also optimistic.
“We just hope the people will see a brighter future for Cabot and get out to vote for Wendell Gibson,” he told The Leader.
Tullos is retired and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration. The ASU and Arkansas National Guard Academy graduate has 35 years of management experience in state government and private industry.
Gibson is a licensed contractor and realtor who founded a construction company in 1995.
He and his wife own Arkansas Homes and Land Realty in Cabot.
