Multiple Runoffs, Several Winners In School Board Elections
School Board elections created several winners and one runoff Tuesday night, as Bentonville incumbent Kim Mertes will face off against challenger Grant Lightle on Oct. 9.
Mertes and Lightle defeated three other candidates for Bentonville’s Zone 3 seat. Lightle captured 48 percent of the vote to Mertes’ 37 percent. The race goes to a runoff election since no candidate captured more than 50 percent of the vote.
Incumbent Rudy Upshaw won his Zone 6 race with 65 percent of the vote against three other candidates. Wendi Cheatham also defeated her three challengers in the Zone 7 race by capturing 74 percent of the ballots cast.
Four Bentonville seats up for election Tuesday night had only one candidate each.
The only other contested race in Benton County came out of Gravette’s Position 1 seat, where Jay Oliphant defeated Jheri Roberts, 61 percent to 39 percent.
In Fayetteville, Tracy Farrah will be the newest School Board member, as she defeated Mary Beth Brooks in the Zone 4 race, the only seat up for election in Fayetteville. Farrah collected 257 votes (70 percent) to Brooks’ 110 (30 percent). Zone 4 is being vacated by incumbent Becky Purcell.
Cody Keller edged Gayla Stahman 106 (52 percent) to 99 (48 percent) for the Elkins Position 5 school board seat. In Lincoln, challenger Scott Davis narrowly unseated incumbent Earl Hunton, 36 votes to 35, according to the Washington County Election Commission.
There were no other contested school board seats in Washington County, and there will be no runoff elections in the county.
Unofficial River Valley Results:
[NAME]*= RACE WINNER
Franklin County
County Line School District:
Heather Reed Appleton* – 69 votes
Leisa Pfeiffer – 59 votes
Charleston School District:
Joel McDonald (Uncontested)*- 7 Votes
Ozark School District:
Chris Tolbert- 22 votes
Michael Gibbons Jr.*- 203 votes
Scott County
Waldron Zone 1:
Eddie L. Harrison* (Unopposed)- 22 votes
Waldron Zone 2:
Steve Ewing*- 106 votes
Arlene White- 18 votes
Steve Bunting- 7 votes
Waldron Zone 3:
Brian K. Jones* (Unopposed) – 13 votes
Waldron Zone 4:
Will head to runoff election between Tammye Sherrill and Jeffery Brewer on October 9.
Tammye Sherill- 111 votes
Jeff Brewer- 55 Votes
Jimmy Atchley- 43 votes
Daniel White- 16 votes
Waldron Zone 5:
Steve Tull*-82 votes
David Taff- 52 votes
Sebastian County
Hartford School District 1.5 property tax mill increase
For- 93
Against*- 130
Hartford School District
Michael Thompson*- 178 votes
Brenda Ackerson- 40 votes
Steven Layne (Dropped out for health reasons, but remained on ballot)- 14 votes
Lavaca School District
Chris Giles- 59 votes
Alicia Dooly*- 129 votes
Crawford County
Van Buren School District
Levi Risley- 251
Jeff Lambert*- 283
Polk County
Mena School District
Judith Roberson*- 286 votes
Shawn Fields- 216 votes
