HISTORIC ELECTION

It was a history-making election in Cairo Tuesday as the city’s registered voters elected the first African-American mayor. Booker Gainor defeated Hansell Bearden 738 to 549. Veteran Cairo City Councilman Ernest W. Cloud Jr., also lost his bid for re-election. Demario Byrden defeated Cloud 151 to 133. The District 1 Grady County Commission special election may also go down in the history books. As of Tuesday night, unofficial returns indicate a three-way run-off between Richard Jordan, June Duke Knight, and Earle Jeter. Jordan garnered 179 votes and Knight and Jeter both had 131. Grady County Election Superintendent Denise Maddox reports there was one provisional ballot cast at Blowing Cave. That ballot will be opened by the Board of Registrars at 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 13. If the ballot is determined legitimate and is for either Knight or Jeter it could prove to eliminate one of them. If the ballot is valid and is for another candidate, a three-way run-off election will be held on Dec. 5. The fourth candidate in the race, Frank Jones, received 93 votes. In Whigham, the top five vote-getters of the seven candidates won election. The winners were Dusty Brown, David Trey Gainous, Ashley Lee King, Jim Sellers, and Joel Singletary.