Peachtree City voters will have to beat the turkey to the polls … or wait until next Tuesday to cast their ballots in the runoff election for the mayor’s seat and two City Council posts.
With Thanksgiving being celebrated tomorrow, the early voting period ends today (Wednesday) at 5 p.m. Ballots may be cast downstairs at the Peachtree City Library and also at the county elections office at the Stonewall government complex at the southwest intersection of Ga. highways 54 and 85 in downtown Fayetteville.
Those who wait until next Tuesday to vote must report instead to their usual polling place between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Voters will choose a new mayor and two new council members. The choices include:
• For mayor: Cyndi Plunkett and Don Haddix.
• For Post 1 council seat: Eric Imker and Beth Pullias.
• For Post 3 council seat: Kim Learnard and Bob Walsh.
Last week, city voters were allowed to cast ballots early at the county elections office in downtown Fayetteville. Some 134 voters took advantage of the offer, officials reported.
From their opening Monday through 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, more than 430 people had cast votes at the library polls, election officials said.
The runoffs were required because none of the candidates gained 50 percent of the vote.
Learnard came the closest to avoiding a runoff but fell short with 48.06 percent of ballots cast in the Post 3 race. Walsh got 33.47 percent of the vote in a three-person race with incumbent Steve Boone getting 18.18 percent and eliminating him from the runoff.
Likewise, Haddix had a strong showing with 45.19 percent of the vote in a three-person race for mayor. But Plunkett out-drew Scott Rowland by 208 votes to capture the other runoff position with 29.04 percent compared to Rowland’s 25.59 percent.
In the Post 1 race, the four-person slate didn’t have a clear front-runner as Pullias captured 28.6 percent of the votes compared to Imker’s 26.86 percent … a difference of just 97 votes. The winner of the Post 1 race will serve the remaining two years on the term; the vacancy was created when Haddix had to resign the seat to run for mayor because his seat didn’t expire at the end of this year.
While the council races have been fairly issues-driven, the mayor’s post has been the most contentious between Haddix and Plunkett. In last week’s candidate forum sponsored by the Peachtree City Youth Council, each candidate claimed they had to correct misconceptions driven by the other.
Meanwhile, last week a Plunkett campaign mailer accused Haddix of wanting to raise taxes while also cutting city amenities and recreational facilities.
Haddix during last week’s forum said he doesn’t want to cut recreation but he wants to “make it more efficient.”
Plunkett has been endorsed by the Fayette County Republican Party, though that endorsement came after the first round of the election was completed in which political newcomer Rowland was eliminated.
As usual, The Citizen will be at Fayette’s election central Dec. 1 providing continuous updates as returns come in from various precincts.
