Incumbent candidates won comfortable victories in each of Columbus’ four contested municipal elections on Tuesday.
In Ward 5, Councilman Stephen Jones, a Democrat, fended off a challenge from Republican Mark Ward to win his first full term on the council. Jones first won the seat last year in a special election.
Jones received 629 votes, or 61.1 percent. Ward, a former assistant fire chief with Columbus Fire and Rescue, received 399 votes, or 38.7 percent.
Jones, speaking to The Dispatch after Tuesday’s results were announced, said he was generally pleased with the campaign and thought he and Ward both ran a good race.
“I just want to thank all the people that came out and supported me,” Jones said. “Now we can get back to the work of the people.”
Tuesday’s totals include in-person and absentee ballots. Election officials will process affidavit ballots today. City Registrar Brenda Williams said Tuesday there are not enough affidavit ballots to change the outcome of any of Tuesday’s contests.
Jones led Ward with 428 votes to 321 in the walk-in total. He picked up 201 absentee votes to Ward’s 78. The Ward 5 race, which saw more than 1,000 ballots cast, was the only contested council race with a significant number of absentee ballots cast.
Ward could not be reached for comment by press time.
Ward 3 Councilman Charlie Box won a third term. Box, a Republican, defeated Democrat challenger Charlotte Braxton Verdell by a 487 (64 percent) to 273 (35.9 percent) margin.
“It’s a good feeling — it really is,” Box said. “You put in a lot of hard work for two or three months, and to see a plan come together like this is nice. I appreciate all the people that worked for me and got out and voted in the rain.”
Ward 6 Councilman Bill Gavin also won a third term, defeating Democrat challenger Whirllie Byrd. Gavin received 462 votes (68.6 percent) to Byrd’s 211 (31.3 percent).
“I had a lot of support,” Gavin said. “I could not win this by myself. I had a lot of help winning this election and a lot of people had faith in me. I guess that’s what’s so rewarding — to find that people do have faith in the job you’ve done in the past and the job you’re going to do in the future.”
Mayor Robert Smith, who advanced past two challengers in May’s Democratic primary, dispatched independent candidate Montrell Coburn to secure a third full term. Smith received 2,306 walk-in votes to Coburn’s 674. Absentee ballots pushed the totals to 3,023 for Smith and 703 for Coburn.
The Dispatch could not reach Verdell, Byrd or Coburn for comment by press time.
Ward 4 Councilman Marty Turner is the only incumbent to lose to a challenger in 2017. Fredrick Jackson, who defeated Turner in a May 16 runoff and was unopposed in Tuesday’s general election, will be sworn in next month.
Ward 1 Councilman Gene Taylor ran unopposed this election cycle. Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens was unopposed in the general election after winning May’s Democratic primary.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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