Published: May 10, 2008 11:18 pm            

Claybar retains mayor position

The 2008 election year will be one to remember for not only the March Primary elections and Orange County Sheriff’s race, but also for the May elections.

Although there were several key elections Saturday, most eyes were turned to the city of Orange as the race for mayor potentially could shape the growth and development of this Orange County community.

Incumbent Brown Claybar faced stiff competition from challenger Charles Atkinson as the key factor in the 2008 election was expected to be voters in the Little Cypress area, which was recently annexed and many residents were less than happy.

Claybar held off a late surge from Atkinson to retain the office of mayor by 148 votes defeating his opponent 1,115 votes to 967 votes.

As it turns out, the voting box at Little Cypress Intermediate School was the deciding factor in the Orange election Saturday as 1,765 ballots were submitted, which was more than early voting and the other three boxes combined.

Atkinson received 400 votes at the intermediate school box after trailing Claybar by 340 votes from early voting figures and the other three box figures. However, Claybar received 209 votes after the Little Cypress Intermediate box was counted giving him the deciding margin of victory.

“I am extremely grateful and humbled by the support of the voters this election,” Claybar said in a telephone interview. “I am thankful for everyone who voted for me, as well as those who voted for my opponent.

“Mr. Atkinson is a man of honor, and we spoke briefly on the phone (Saturday night),” Claybar said. “He raised some important issues and I am going to keep them on the forefront. I hope that as time goes on, the rift that has developed between the community of Little Cypress and the city of Orange can be healed and we can become a unified community.”

Two other key races were on the ballot for the city of Orange as the city council seats for the Place 1 and Place 3 were up for election.

Place 1 incumbent Theresa Beauchamp defeated challenger Glen Prince by a vote of 1,085 to 938. Prince made it close at the end with a strong showing from the Little Cypress Intermediate School ballot box, but it wasn’t enough.

Place 3 incumbent Cynthia Jackson had a rockier election road to travel as she faced opposition from not one but three opponents: Norman Sonnier, Jeff Holland and Mary Ann Kirksey.

Holland took the lead from the moment early voting figures were released and never looked back as he received 1,131 votes to win the Place 3 council seat.

Jackson finished with 503 votes, while Kirksey tallied 271 and Sonnier received 116.

In Pinehurst, T.W. Permenter was unopposed in his bid for mayor, but four candidates were vying for the two at-large city council seats.

Incumbents John Zerko and Bob Williams were challenged for their seats by Drusilla Anderson and Enand Young Jr., but both incumbents walked away victorious after totals were counted Saturday night.

Zerko finished with 169 votes and Williams had 151, while Young received 78 votes and Anderson had 73.

Nearly 1,600 voters let their choice be known for the Little Cypress-Mauriceville Consolidated Independent School District’s $40 million bond election Saturday.

The Board of Trustees had sought to renovate the high school and basically build a new campus at it’s current site, while also performing repairs and renovations at all district campuses.

However, by a margin of just 110 votes, LC-M school district residents voted down the bond election, 849 to 739.

“We knew this was going to be a close election from the beginning,” said Sherry Combs, LC-M CISD director of community relations. “It just didn’t go over with the voters this time. We just appreciate the community support this election, and the work of the 53 people who worked on the vision and planning committee.”

The Vidor Independent School District was counting on voter support to pull through plans for a $61.6 million bond to improve and renovate every campus, plus construct a new administration building and various other facilities.

However, despite a strong turnout, Vidor school district residents felt the timing was not right for approving such a big dollar amount.

The bond was split into two proposals. Proposition 1, which was $46.1 million, had to be approved by voters whether proposition 2, which was $15.1 million, was approved or not.

In a close race, voters decided against the bond by as proposition 1 failed by a vote of 617 against and 517 for the bond. Proposition 2 also failed, 666 to 420.

“I really think the economy is frightening people right now,” said Sally Kirkpatrick, VISD director of community relations. “The people care about our students, but I think people are worried about their finances and they don’t know what a tax increase would do along with the way gas prices are still rising. It’s affecting everything.”

The race for the Ward 3 seat in the city of Vidor was a tight one throughout the day as incumbent Mike Harris was in for a hard fight against opponent John Robert Morris IV.

However, it was Morris who pulled off the upset by a slim five vote margin winning the election 183 votes to 178 votes.

Candidates Weldon LeBlanc, Ward 2, and Dale Madeley, Ward 5, were unopposed.

Residents in the city of Pine Forest, located just north of Vidor, also let it be known they wanted change as challenger Clinton Lee Gordon defeated incumbent Charlatte Whitehead by a vote of 29 to 3 for the Place 3 city council seat.

Candidates Don Lemp, Place 2, and Mike Millican, Place 4, both newcomers, were not challenged this election.

The Orange County Drainage District also held two elections on Saturday, as the incumbents in Precincts 2 and 4 attempted to retain their respective seats.

In Precinct 2, incumbent James “Pete” Bean lost his bid for re-election as challenger J.B. Arrington won by a count of 418 to 399. Initially, Arrington trailed Bean in early voting, 86 to 22.

Precinct 4 incumbent Clyde M. Chesson also lost his seat to challenger, but by a overwhelming margin, 412 votes to 145 votes.



City of Orange - FINAL



MAYOR

Brown Claybar (i) 1115

Charles Atkinson 967



Council Pl. 1

Theresa Beauchamp (i) 1085

Glen Prince 938



Council Pl. 3

Cynthia Jackson 503

Norman Sonnier 116

Jeff Holland 1131

Mary Ann Kirksey 271





City of Pinehurst - FINAL

Two At-Large Council Seats

Bob Williams (i) 151

John Zerko (i) 169

Drusilla Anderson 73

Enand Young Jr. 78





City of Vidor - FINAL

Place 3

Mike Harris (i) 178

John Robert Morris IV 183





City of Pine Forest - FINAL

Place 3

Charlatte Whitehead (i) 3

Clinton Lee Gordon 29





Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD School Bond - FINAL

For 739

Against 849





Vidor Independent School District School Bond - FINAL



Proposition 1

For 521

Against 617



Proposition 2

For 420

Against 666



Vidor ISD Board of Trustees - FINAL

Position 6

David Camp 630

Joe Williamson 487



Orange County Drainage District - FINAL

Precinct 2

J.B. Arrington 418

James “Pete” Bean (i) 399



Precinct 4

Jimmy Scales 412

Clyde M. Chesson (i) 145



Reach this reporter at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2619 or tmann@orangeleader.com

        

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