Municipal election results now official
Published 11:04 am Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Cities in northern Jefferson County have certified their results from last week’s municipal elections, most with special council meetings on Tuesday.
The certified totals did not change any outcomes, though the vote totals in some races did fluctuate slightly.
The only significant changes came in Morris, and that’s because of a simple oversight.
“I forgot to read the tape from the other machine,” Town Clerk Jessica Robb said.
The additional votes only increased the victory margins for mayoral candidate Joe Pylant and Place 5 council candidate John Dillard. Pylant won by a 161-53 margin over Charles Ray Densmore, and Dillard beat Robert Keith 175-38.
In Fultondale, two additional provisional ballots were okayed by the Jefferson County Board of Elections. Both votes went to incumbent mayor Jim Lowery, who won re-election. In council races, the votes both went to Joshua Bryant in Place 1, Darrell Hubbert in Place 3, and Theresa Hurst Leipert in Place 5.
Bryant won re-election to his seat, while Hubbert will face a runoff on Oct. 9 against Jimmie Lay. Leipert finished third in the Place 5 race, which will see a runoff between “Tip” Blizard and former councilman Greg Morris.
In Gardendale, two provisional ballots were cleared, with mayoral votes on both going to challenger William Flippo, who lost to incumbent Othell Phillips. The provisionals were split between the two District 3 council candidates.
Gardendale will have one runoff, as District 1 council member Peggy Tumlin will face challenger Allen Jerkins. They were two votes apart in the main election, 302 to 300, with third-place finisher Karen Dunn getting 39 votes.
No provisional ballots were cleared for acceptance in Warrior, and the handful of absentee ballots voted were spoiled, so the results announced last week were unchanged. They were certified in a council meeting Tuesday, with council member Johnny Ragland winning the mayor’s race over Oscar Turner.
Trafford had not certified its results by press deadlines Tuesday afternoon; the city clerk’s office said provisional ballots were still awaiting clearance. The city was expected to certify the results later in the day, with a runoff in the mayor’s race between incumbent Robert Niblett and Clint Daniels expected.