LITTLE ROCK, AR-- Longtime businessowner Debe Hollingsworth becomes the apparent winner of the Pine Bluff mayor's race, defeating incumbent Mayor Carl Redus and seven other candidates.
Hollingsworth gathered 7,733 votes or 48.91%. Redus came in second with 2,889 votes or 18.27%.
"It's not a victory for me. It's for the citizens. People have come together and said they want something different and they want that new direction," Hollingsworth said.
Hollingsworth said she plans to look into every department to see what can remain the same and what needs to change. She did say she would be cleaning up before she would reach out to employers.
Mayor Carl Redus said he was baffled by the results but acknowledged the will of the people.
"Unfortunately I guess my team didn't work to the extent that we should, and my regards go out to the winner," Redus said.
"We think we've got Pine Bluff on the right track and hopefully the new mayor will keep it on the right track," Redus said.
The two-term mayor who was first elected as the city's first black mayor in 2004, said he found it difficult to govern and campaign at the same time. He pointed to his successes, like adding money to the city's reserves, and seeing the passage of a sales tax.
