Sikes re-elected by landslide
FAMILY CELEBRATION – Humboldt Mayor Marvin Sikes (back, center) had plenty of support from his family last Tuesday night as election returns were coming in. Sikes hosted an election night get-together attended by dozens and dozens of his supporters. His family celebrates shortly after it was announcd Sikes had won his re-election bid as mayor of Humboldt.
by Danny Wade
Humboldt voters spoke loud and clear when they took to the polls last Tuesday. Mayor Marvin Sikes was re-elected by a landslide.
Mayor Sikes, seeking a second term, campaigned on keeping the momentum and progress moving forward. And 75-percent of the voters agreed.
Sikes was challenged by businesswoman, Tammie Porter.
The Humboldt City Board will look exactly the same with all five candidates being re-elected. Four of the five contestants, Donna Johnson, Leon McNeal, Bob Pruett and Don Graves, were unopposed in their respective wards.
Only James Shivers’ seat for Ward 1 saw competition with former alderman, Bobby Barnett, attempting to regain the position. Shivers won the race by 18 votes.
Four of the five school board seats were up for grabs. Two newcomers, Lori Coleman and Valeria Smith-Wedley, unseated the incumbents.
Smith-Wedley narrowly edged out Ward 5 incumbent, Charles “Papa Chuck” Samples by three votes.
CELEBRATORY KISS – As Humboldt Mayor Marvin Sikes reads the final results from the mayor’s race on election night, his wife, Carol, is by his side celebrating the victory. The mayor and first lady share a celebratory kiss as the crowd erupts with applause. Sikes garnered 75-percent of the votes and will serve a second 4-year term leading Humboldt.
Coleman ran away with the race, garnering 77-percent of the votes over Ward 3 incumbent, Phillip Hardee.
CASTING HER VOTE – Poll worker Earline Pipkin (right) assists Vesta Bryson before casting her vote at St. James Church in last Tuesday’s election.
In Ward 1, three candidates were in competition for the school board seat. Incumbent Terry Johnson received the most votes but did not obtain the amount of votes needed to win the race, 50-percent plus one vote. Contenders, Thomas “Red” Porter finished second in the 3-man race with Bobby Barnett coming in a distant third. Johnson and Porter will faceoff in a run-off election on December 19.
Also on this year’s referendum was a vote to keep or to repeal liquor by the drink. In a close vote with a difference of 48 votes, Humboldt will continue to allow liquor by the drink. Since it was voted in nine years ago, no business has applied for a license.
Unofficial results of the November 7 Humboldt elections:
Mayor
Marvin Sikes – 1,192 (75%)
Tammie Porter – 404 (25%)
3 write-ins
Aldermen
Ward 1
James R. Shivers – 110 (54%)
Bobby Barnett – 92 (46%)
Ward 2
Leon McNeal – 181 (100%)
Ward 3
Don Graves – 229 (91%)
23 write-ins
Ward 4
Bob Pruett – 393 (99%)
3 write-ins
Ward 5
Donna Johnson – 192 (99%)
2 write-ins
School Board
Ward 1
Terry Johnson – 101 (47%)
Thomas “Red” Porter – 72 (34%)
Bobby Barnett – 41 (19%)
Ward 3
Lori Coleman – 298 (77%)
Phillip Hardee – 88 (23%)
1 write-ins
Ward 4 (unexpired 2-year term)
Wayne McLemore – 391 (99%)
3 write-ins
Ward 5
Valeria Smith Wedley – 122 (51%)
Charles “Papa Chuck” Samples – 119 (49%)
Liquor by the drink
For premises consumption – 787 (52%)
Against premises consumption – 739 (48%)
Humboldt has 4,487 registered voters but only 1,621 (36-percent) exercised their right to vote.
Unofficial results from the Nov. 7 elections
