Miner holds Ward 5 seat; Hollibush knocks off Ward 3 incumbent
Steven Hollibush on Tuesday toppled incumbent Tim Johnson in a three-way race for the Ward 3 seat on the Texarkana, Ark., Board of Directors.
Johnson came in last place in his race, while fellow incumbent Barbara Miner retained the Ward 5 seat.
Hollibush won with 431 votes to LaTanya Blair’s 321 and Johnson’s 305. On Wednesday, he thanked his supporters and said he was preparing to take office.
“My goal is to work with the rest of the board and the new mayor to continue to move the city forward. During my campaign I promised to provide more transparency in city affairs and reflect the values of the people in the community, I intend to fulfill that promise. …
“In the next two months before I take office I will work with the city manager and other department heads so that I can be as prepared as possible to take office. I’ve also spoken to Mr. Johnson who has offered to mentor me and share his experience from the last four years. I love this city and I look forward to serving the people,” Hollibush said via email.
Because of incorrect information provided by a city official, the Gazette at first reported that Blair and Hollibush would meet in a runoff election. Under Arkansas law, cities having a city manager form of government, such as Texarkana, do not hold runoff elections for members boards of directors or other official positions.
Both Hollibush, a former Army medic, and Blair, who has served on the boards of Miller County NAACP and Habitat for Humanity, campaigned on platforms of change in their first runs for public office.
In 2014, Johnson defeated longtime director and former Mayor Londell Williams by 34 votes to take the Ward 3 seat. He announced in January that he would not seek re-election this year but changed his mind in August.
“I’m glad that I ran a positive campaign. No one can say that I did anything underhanded. I hope that the citizens of Ward 3 are treated fairly and equitably, and I’ll do anything I can in the future to promote the progress of our city,” Johnson said.
By presstime Wednesday, Blair had not responded to a request for comment on the race.
Miner defeated challenger Christopher Voan 802 votes to 460.
“I’m grateful for all the support. I hope we can work together for the betterment of the city,” Miner said. Voan also thanked his supporters and congratulated Miner.
In 2014, Miner beat Danny Jewell and Marvin Williams in a race for the Ward 5 seat previously held by Mike Jones, who had chosen not to seek re-election, according to previous Gazette reports.
She is a native Texarkanian who worked as an elementary school teacher for 12 years and later went into owning and operating rental property and working part time for Texarkana Funeral Home on the Arkansas side.