Clemishire wins mayor at Howardwick; Robinson to join CISD board

Tony Clemishire will be the new mayor of Howardwick, a new face will join the Clarendon school board, and Clarendon residents approved a tax measure during voting last Saturday, May 4.

A total of 148 votes were cast in the race to determine who would succeed Howardwick Mayor Greta Byars. Clemishire easily carried the election with 105 votes followed by Alderman Brice Hawley 32, Coy Cooper 9, and J.D. Kindle 2.

Alderman Johnny Floyd won re-election to the Howardwick City Council with 130 votes, and former code officer Jerry Mulanax was also elected to the council with 89 votes. Others running for City Council were Beverly McCaskill 29, Tammy Jordan 12, and Ericka Mills 9.

Howardwick residents also voted in favor of reauthorizing a quarter-cent sales tax that raises money for street maintenance but a margin of 133-11.

Street maintenance was also before Clarendon voters, who voted 60-12 to abolish a half-cent sales tax that went towards property tax reduction and replace it with a quarter-cent sales tax for street maintenance and a quarter-cent tax for general revenue. The property tax reduction sales tax had been lowering the city’s ad valorem rate by about 20 cents per $100. The new tax will raise about $50,000 for street maintenance and $50,000 for general revenue.

A total of 126 ballots were cast in the city election, but only 72 people voted on the tax question.

Also on the city ballot, Mayor Sandy Skelton and Aldermen Jacob Fangman, Nathan Floyd, and Eulaine McIntosh were all up for re-election but faced no opposition.

A very close election added challenger Zack Robinson to the Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees. In the four-person race for three seats on the school board, Robinson received 117 votes and incumbents Chuck Robertson and Robin Ellis were returned to the board with 114 and 112 votes respectively. Incumbent Will Thompson fell just short of re-election with 111.