Two incumbents were re-elected Tuesday to the Jefferson County Quorum Court, while a third Justice of the Peace position was won by a newcomer.
Delton Wright was re-elected as District 3 Justice of the Peace, defeating Reginald Johnson in the Democratic primary. Final but unofficial results show Wright finishing with 424 votes, while Johnson got 294.
District 13 Justice of the Peace Edward Spears scored a victory over challenger Bruce Carman in the Democratic primary. Spears received 362 votes, compared with 306 for Carman.
In the District 7 JP race, Bruce Lockett narrowly avoided a runoff, defeating Melanie Johnson Dumas and Porter Jackson III in the Democratic primary. Lockett finished with 234 votes. Dumas, the daughter of outgoing JP Vannette Johnson, was second with 171 votes and Jackson was third with 54.
Spears, who lives in Wabbaseka, is the owner of Spears Rental Properties of Pine Bluff.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Before the election, Spears said his priorities include improving county roads, community beautification and development of youth programs.
A former member of the Wabbaseka City Council, Spears was appointed to the Arkansas Optometry Board by Governor Mike Beebe in 2008. He is a member of the NAACP, the Association of Arkansas Counties and Wabbaseka Church of Christ.
Lockett is Outreach Coordinator at Future Builders Inc., a nonprofit organization in Wrightsville, a position he has held for nine years. He is responsible for writing grants and conducting community based programs related to health, youth development and community development.
In a press release announcing his candidacy, he said if elected his top priorities would be to work to attract jobs, support education and assist with the investment in social and economic infrastructure.