Two El Dorado City Council members retained their seats during the General Election Tuesday, a third will bid the council farewell at the end of the year and a former city official will return to municipal government come Jan. 1.
Longtime council members Judy Ward (R) of Ward 2, Position 2, and Dianne Hammond (R), of Ward 4, Position 2, were each reelected to their ninth terms on the city council.
Hammond emerged the victor in a three-way race with former council member Kensel Spivey-Green (D) and Patrick Frazier (I), who has previously run for a position on the council.
A total of 1,060 votes were cast in the race. Hammond garnered 560 votes, compared to 428 for Spivey-Green and 72 for Frazier, per the unofficial results of the General Election in Union County.
Spivey-Green previously served in the Ward 3, Position 2 seat.
Ward fought off Democratic challenger Jacarllus Hill by a wide margin of 843 to 448.
Former Mayor Frank Hash (R) edged out opponent LaQuita Rainey (D) by 27 votes in a tight race.
Hash received 656 votes, while Rainey, who has also previously campaigned for a city council seat, picked up 629 ballots.
Hash is Mayor Veronica Smith-Creer’s immediate predecessor, having served two terms from 2010 - 2018.
Council Member Mike Rice (D), who has held the Ward 1, Position 1 seat for 10 years, was ousted by candidate David Hurst (R), who is a member of the El Dorado Parks and Playgrounds Commission.
Ward 1 voters cast 667 ballots for Hurst and 601 for Rice.
City Clerk Heather McVay (I) garnered 3,493 votes in an un-contested race for her seat.
McVay has served as city clerk since 2013. She was initially appointed to an unexpired term and has run un-opposed in every applicable city election since.