Runoff set for Parkers Chapel School Board

EL DORADO — A runoff election will be held for two of three candidates who were vying for a seat on the Parkers Chapel School Board.

Unofficial results from county school board elections on Tuesday showed that neither of the two candidates who led in the race for the District 35 seat garnered the requisite majority of 50 percent of the vote, plus one vote.

As a result, Emily K. Carelock and Howard Skinner will face each other in a run-off on Oct. 11.

Early voting will begin on Oct. 4.

Carelock and Skinner were in a three-way race with Chris Porter for the District 35 position.

Of 223 ballots that were cast in the election, Skinner led with 97, or 43.5 percent.

Carelock was close behind with 92 votes, 41.3. percent.

Thirty-four voters, 15.3 percent, favored Porter in the race.

Henry Frisby, chairman of the Union County Election Commission, said Skinner and Carelock will retain their positions on the runoff ballot relative to their

positions on the ballot on Tuesday.

Carelock was one and Skinner was three on Tuesday, so in the run-off their names will appear as one and two, respectively.

In the Strong-Huttig School District, LaKenya Riley bested opponent Christy Hoffer with a vote of 21 - 4 for the Zone 2 seat on the school board.

Incumbent Frederick Baker, who went unchallenged for his Zone 4 seat on the Strong-Huttig School Board, garnered 11 votes.

Other races around the county Tuesday were also uncontested with the incumbents as the lone candidates.

In El Dorado, three incumbents retained their school board seats.

They include Renee Skinner, Zone 3, Susan Turbeville, Zone 5, and Todd Whatley, Zone 7.

A total of six people cast their votes for the El Dorado School Board candidates.

Two voted for Skinner, one for Turbeville and three for Whatley.

Cliff Preston received one vote as the only candidate for his Zone 4 position on the Smackover-Norphlet School Board, and with two votes, Bobby E. Bryan will remain in the Zone 4 seat on the Junction City School Board.

Voters also voted on existing school millages, with citizens voting in favor of 33.5 mills in El Dorado; 39.8 in Parkers Chapel; 41 for Smackover-Norphlet; and 39 for Strong-Huttig.

In Junction City two people voted against the 40.9 millage tax and one person voted in favor of it.

Members of the Union County Election Commission said the millages will not be voted up or down and will remain as is.

UCEC chairman Henry Frisby said commissioners will convene at noon on Thursday to certify the election results.