By Briana Harris / Staff Writer

PELHAM – There will be a runoff for Pelham City Council Place 2 and Place 5 following the city’s Aug. 23 municipal election.

Place 2 candidate Don Green received 1,090 votes (or 41.8 percent) while incumbent council member Ron Scott received 1,053 votes (or 40.4 percent).

The third Place 2 candidate was Tommy Johnson with 462 votes.

In Place 5, candidate Mildred Lanier, who received 1,093 votes (or 41.1 percent) will face incumbent Karyl Rice, who received 788 votes (or 29.7 percent). The third Place 5 candidate Mike Freeman received 772 votes (or 29 percent).

During the Oct. 4 runoff, Lanier will attempt to unseat Rice who has been a City Council member for more than 30 years.

Incumbent Ron Scott said he wasn’t expecting a runoff, but it will give him the opportunity to continue promoting his vision for Pelham’s growth.

Place 4 Councilman Maurice Mercer, who defeated his opponent Scott Christian in a 1,682-1,001 vote, offered some advice to those facing a runoff. In 2012, Mercer was elected to Place 4 in a runoff against Jim Phillips.

“Statistically the turnout for runoffs go down, so it’s really about who can outwork their opponent,” Mercer said. “They have to talk to every voter about how they plan to work with the council to move the city forward.”

Mercer said he felt humble to be elected for a second term on the council.

“Going into the third week of July without a challenger and then on July 19 a challenger entered the race and I knew I had to work hard to get my platform out there,” Mercer said.  “For me it’s always been about Pelham.”

Mercer said one of the things he’s proud to have accomplished in the last four years is the city’s Town Hall meetings. The next one will be sometime in October.

In Place 1, incumbent Rick Hayes defeated Kaneshia Sims, Lucas Burger and Rick Wash by obtaining 51 percent of the votes, which equals 1,369 votes.

Sims received 184 votes, Burger got 225 votes and Wash received 902.

In Place 3, Beth McMillan defeated her opponent Marco Gonzalez by getting 52.1 percent of the votes, while Gonzalez received 47.8 percent.