FINAL UPDATE (10:10): Terry Hartwick is North Little Rock’s once and future mayor. Hartwick, who served a term as mayor in the late 1980s, defeated School Board member and former state legislature Tracy Steele in a runoff on Tuesday. While results are yet certified, and that process can be an adventure with the Pulaski County Election Commission, Hartwick garnered 5,417 votes to Steele’s 4,737 or 53.35 percent to 46.65. Hartwick ran the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce for 15 years and had the backing of a significant percentage of the city’s business community. Steele had the Election Day lead in a four-way race but lost in the runoff as history has repeated itself Steele also lost in 2012, after outperforming Joe Smith on Election Day, but then lost in the runoff. In that race, Smith won 54.7 percent to 45.2 percent. In the runoff for the Ward 3 alderman seat, incumbent Ron Harris defeated John Parker. Counts are still unofficial, but Harris is winning about 60-40.
North Little Rock Mayor Tracy Steele . . . . . . . 4,737 …46.65
Terry C. Hartwick . . . . . 5,417 ..53.35
North Little Rock Ward 3
Ron Harris . . . . . . . . 906 ….. 61.09
John Parker . . . . . . . . 577 … 38.91
9:35 Update: With a strong Election Day polling, Terry Hartwick has taken the lead in the North Little Rock Mayor’s race. Hartwick now has 5,417 votes to Tracy Steele’s 4,737. Steele had the lead after early voting, but Hartwick had the numerical advantage with absentees, and nearly 1,000 more Election Day votes. There’s 27 of 44 precincts reporting but some of those include precincts in Little Rock for a School Board runoff south of the river. Seen enough in Ward 3, incumbent Ron Harris will serve another term as he has defeated John Parker. Counts are still unofficial, but Harris is winning about 60-40.
North Little Rock Mayor Tracy Steele . . . . . . . 4,737 …46.65
Terry C. Hartwick . . . . . 5,417 ..53.35
North Little Rock Ward 3
Ron Harris . . . . . . . . 906 ….. 61.09
John Parker . . . . . . . . 577 … 38.91
8:35 Update: The next batch of numbers rolled in at 8:27 and the races are starting to tighten up and also widen. Tracy Steele has a 208 vote lead over Terry Hartwick, while Ron Harris has pulled a little more ahead of John Parker. Worth noting that these are just early and absentee votes. Election Day ballots are still being counted.
North Little Rock Mayor Tracy Steele . . . . . . . 2,399 … 52.27
Terry C. Hartwick . . . . . 2,191 ..47.73
North Little Rock Ward 3
Ron Harris . . . . . . . . 469 ….. 61.87
John Parker . . . . . . . . 289 … 38.13
7:33 Update: Polls have closed in North Little Rock and the first batch of early votes are in. Tracy Steele and Ron Harris enjoy a slight lead. North Little Rock Mayor Tracy Steele . . . . . . . 1,702 … 55.17
Terry C. Hartwick . . . . . 1,383 ..44.83
North Little Rock Ward 3
Ron Harris . . . . . . . . 311 ….. 60.04
John Parker . . . . . . . . 207 … 39.96
Will need to check this with the North Little Rock History Commission but I believe if Steele holds on, he would be the first mayor, maybe ever, who wasn’t a graduate of North Little Rock High School. Steele graduated from North Little Rock Ole Main and when the town had two high schools from 1970 to 1990. The other high school being Northeast.
Since it is going to be a long night, here’s a blast from North Little Rock’s past in the NY Times, written by Judith Miller, who later went on to some infamy of a different sort.
FIRST POST: North Little Rock voters choice will be known tonight in the runoff elections for mayor and Ward 3 alderman. Former mayor Terry Hartwick faces off against School Board member and former legislator Tracy Steele, while in Ward 3 Alderman Ron Harris is up against former alderman John Parker. We’ll be following the election throughout the night and posting results and insight as the races go on. We hope you’ll follow along.
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Hartwick wins mayor's race
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FINAL UPDATE (10:10): Terry Hartwick is North Little Rock’s once and future mayor.
Hartwick, who served a term as mayor in the late 1980s, defeated School Board member and former state legislature Tracy Steele in a runoff on Tuesday.
While results are yet certified, and that process can be an adventure with the Pulaski County Election Commission, Hartwick garnered 5,417 votes to Steele’s 4,737 or 53.35 percent to 46.65.
Hartwick ran the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce for 15 years and had the backing of a significant percentage of the city’s business community.
Steele had the Election Day lead in a four-way race but lost in the runoff as history has repeated itself Steele also lost in 2012, after outperforming Joe Smith on Election Day, but then lost in the runoff.
In that race, Smith won 54.7 percent to 45.2 percent.
In the runoff for the Ward 3 alderman seat, incumbent Ron Harris defeated John Parker.
Counts are still unofficial, but Harris is winning about 60-40.
North Little Rock Mayor
Tracy Steele . . . . . . . 4,737 …46.65
Terry C. Hartwick . . . . . 5,417 ..53.35
North Little Rock Ward 3
Ron Harris . . . . . . . . 906 ….. 61.09
John Parker . . . . . . . . 577 … 38.91
9:35 Update: With a strong Election Day polling, Terry Hartwick has taken the lead in the North Little Rock Mayor’s race. Hartwick now has 5,417 votes to Tracy Steele’s 4,737.
Steele had the lead after early voting, but Hartwick had the numerical advantage with absentees, and nearly 1,000 more Election Day votes. There’s 27 of 44 precincts reporting but some of those include precincts in Little Rock for a School Board runoff south of the river.
Seen enough in Ward 3, incumbent Ron Harris will serve another term as he has defeated John Parker.
Counts are still unofficial, but Harris is winning about 60-40.
North Little Rock Mayor
Tracy Steele . . . . . . . 4,737 …46.65
Terry C. Hartwick . . . . . 5,417 ..53.35
North Little Rock Ward 3
Ron Harris . . . . . . . . 906 ….. 61.09
John Parker . . . . . . . . 577 … 38.91
8:35 Update: The next batch of numbers rolled in at 8:27 and the races are starting to tighten up and also widen. Tracy Steele has a 208 vote lead over Terry Hartwick, while Ron Harris has pulled a little more ahead of John Parker. Worth noting that these are just early and absentee votes. Election Day ballots are still being counted.
North Little Rock Mayor
Tracy Steele . . . . . . . 2,399 … 52.27
Terry C. Hartwick . . . . . 2,191 ..47.73
North Little Rock Ward 3
Ron Harris . . . . . . . . 469 ….. 61.87
John Parker . . . . . . . . 289 … 38.13
7:33 Update: Polls have closed in North Little Rock and the first batch of early votes are in. Tracy Steele and Ron Harris enjoy a slight lead.
North Little Rock Mayor
Tracy Steele . . . . . . . 1,702 … 55.17
Terry C. Hartwick . . . . . 1,383 ..44.83
North Little Rock Ward 3
Ron Harris . . . . . . . . 311 ….. 60.04
John Parker . . . . . . . . 207 … 39.96
Will need to check this with the North Little Rock History Commission but I believe if Steele holds on, he would be the first mayor, maybe ever, who wasn’t a graduate of North Little Rock High School. Steele graduated from North Little Rock Ole Main and when the town had two high schools from 1970 to 1990. The other high school being Northeast.
Since it is going to be a long night, here’s a blast from North Little Rock’s past in the NY Times, written by Judith Miller, who later went on to some infamy of a different sort.
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/20/us/dog-town-buries-nickname-but-feud-lives-on-the-talk-of-north-little-rock.html
FIRST POST: North Little Rock voters choice will be known tonight in the runoff elections for mayor and Ward 3 alderman.
Former mayor Terry Hartwick faces off against School Board member and former legislator Tracy Steele, while in Ward 3 Alderman Ron Harris is up against former alderman John Parker.
We’ll be following the election throughout the night and posting results and insight as the races go on.
We hope you’ll follow along.