Manuel Retains Mountain Home City Council Seat; Baxter County Divided on Issue 3

Former Mountain Home Police Chief Carry Manuel successfully defended his Ward 3, Position 2 seat on the Mountain Home City Council on Tuesday. Manuel defeated challenger Mary E. O’Shields by 157 votes, earning 1,648 votes to her 1,491, for a narrow 52 percent to 48 percent victory. Results are unofficial until certification by the Baxter County Board of Election Commissioners.

Manuel’s seat was the city’s only contested council race. Under Mountain Home election rules, council seats are decided by voters across the city rather than solely by residents of the specific ward. O’Shields, a former chair of the Baxter County Democratic Committee, had previously sought appointment to another Ward 3 seat vacated earlier this year. However, the council appointed Marshella Norell to that position on October 16, leaving O’Shields to challenge Manuel at the ballot box.

Countywide voter turnout reached 45.71 percent, with 14,354 of Baxter County’s 31,404 registered voters casting ballots. All 11 precincts had reported by 8:55 p.m., when the Baxter County Election Commission released a summary of the results.

The county’s closest contest of the night came on Issue 3, a proposed amendment to the state constitution allowing the Legislature to create economic development districts within cities and counties. Baxter County voters narrowly approved the measure, with 6,870 votes in favor and 6,756 against—a margin of just 114 votes, or 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent.

Clearer margins were seen in the county on the other three statewide issues. Issue 1, affirming that only U.S. citizens can vote in state and local elections, passed overwhelmingly with 83 percent of Baxter County voters backing the amendment. Similarly, Issue 2, expanding the constitutional right to keep and bear arms to include ammunition, firearm components, and accessories, drew nearly identical support, receiving 11,597 votes to 2,398. Issue 4, which seeks approval for $500 million in state bonds for water and waste infrastructure projects, passed with 58 percent support.

In Gassville, close municipal races added to the night’s drama. Robert Simmons led a three-way contest for the Ward 1, Position 2 City Council seat with 166 votes. He cleared the 40 percent threshold required under Arkansas law to potentially avoid a runoff but awaits a decision by the election commission on whether his 28-vote lead over second-place candidate Michael Fouts qualifies him for outright victory. If not, Simmons and Fouts will face a runoff on December 1. In other Gassville races, Holt Dye defeated Anita Seaman 220 to 183 for Ward 2, Position 2, while Jason Bradley secured Ward 3, Position 1, earning 234 votes to Sierra Tumey Palmer’s 100 and Sharon Kaster’s 82. Gassville Mayor Sheila Wingard ran unopposed, receiving 414 votes.

Elsewhere in Baxter County, Cotter voters elected Linda McCarthy to the Ward 2, Position 2 City Council seat over Nathan Buck, 158 to 125, while Salesville voters chose Scott F. Sillence as mayor with 82 votes to Lynley E. Christian’s 58. Several mayoral races in the county were uncontested, with incumbents or single-candidate races prevailing.

The only contested seat on the Baxter County Quorum Court was District 8, where Mountain Home Police Chief Eddie Griffin, a Republican, retained his position by defeating Democratic challenger Micha Johnson 1,038 to 317, or 77 percent to 23 percent.

At the state legislative level, Republican Rep. Stetson Painter of Mountain Home carried the Baxter County portion of his district en route to a commanding lead over Democrat Carrie Huddleston, 7,270 to 2,361, or about 75 percent to 25 percent. Additional votes from part of Fulton County will decide the race. Rep. Jason Nazarenko of Cotter was unopposed in House District 4, receiving 3,831 votes in Baxter County.

Federal and statewide races saw Baxter County largely follow its strong Republican voting patterns. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders dominated with 73 percent of the county vote, while Sen. Tom Cotton, Rep. Rick Crawford, and other GOP candidates similarly garnered substantial leads. Results from other counties will determine the outcomes of these contests.

All results are unofficial until certified.