On Tuesday, December 1, the City of Hartford will hold a runoff race between mayoral candidates Richard Hartsfield and Allen Tabor.
According to the Sebastian County Election Commission, Hartsfield needed one more vote to seal the victory. With 107 votes, Hartsfield received half the number of ballots cast. “We thought there might be a provisional ballot and we were hopeful, but there wasn’t one,” the commissioner stated. “He needed 50% plus one to win. So now there has to be a runoff.”
Tabor received 71 votes, or 33.18% and the third opponent, Jesse Keith, received 36 votes, or 16.82%.
“I have a strong base,” shared Tabor. “They let me know that they need me in there to work on my ideas for the town.” Tabor added that he has several pages of ideas he has been working on. “Plans to to deal with situations that will hurt us badly and be to the detriment of the town.”
The City of Hartford is responsible for holding the election and will foot the bill, estimated at $10,794.63.
Due to the cost to the city, Tabor added that he has felt pressured to concede. “I was asked, why don’t you concede? Well, I can’t, I was never taught how to quit…” He went on to add that he has reached out to the Sebastian County Election Commissioner about the cost of the election. “This is a ballpark estimate…and they are trying to reduce the costs as much as possible.”
The Sebastian County Election Commission will meet on Wednesday, November 18, to determine the protocol for early voting. Voting on election day, Tuesday, December 1, will be held at the fire station in Hartford beginning at 7:30 a.m.
