By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Voter turnout for this year’s Alabaster municipal elections was significantly down from the city’s last municipal elections, according to unofficial results from the city.

According to the unofficial results, a little more than 3,400 voters cast ballots in the Alabaster mayoral race, which was the only citywide race on Aug. 23. Voters who lived in Wards 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 were also able to cast votes for their City Council representatives.

The about 3,447 ballots cast represented about 17.2 percent of Alabaster’s 20,092 registered voters.

The voter turnout percentage on Aug. 23 was down from the 23 percent voter turnout the city recorded during the 2012 municipal elections, and was down from the 25 percent turnout the city saw during the 2012 mayoral runoff election between current Mayor Marty Handlon and then-Mayor David Frings.

In 2012, the city had about 18,000 registered voters, and a little more than 4,000 of them turned out for the city elections. About 4,600 voters cast ballots in the 2012 runoff election.

On Aug. 23, some of Alabaster’s City Council races were determined by only a few dozen votes. The closest races came in Ward 4, where Greg Farrell defeated incumbent Rick Walters 306 votes to 272 votes, and in Ward 5, where incumbent Russell Bedsole defeated challenger Jamia Alexander-Williams 349 votes to 270 votes.

In Ward 1, incumbent Sophie Martin soundly defeated challenger Lee Cunningham, earning about 84 percent of the vote.

In the Ward 2 race, Rick Ellis defeated opponent Matt Penhale, earning 245 votes to Penhale’s 123 votes. Ward 2 incumbent Bob Hicks did not seek another term.

In the Ward 7 race, Kerri Pate defeated challenger Eric Starling 446-135.

Ward 3 incumbent Stacy Rakesraw and Ward 6 incumbent Scott Brakefield did not face opposition in this year’s elections, and will serve another term.

In the mayoral race, Handlon defeated challenger Larry Sailes 2,906 votes to 541 votes.