Adams wins re-election as mayor1 min read

With 2,146 votes, or 66.17 percent, incumbent Mayor Rob Adams has unofficially won his re-election for Sedona mayor, defeating his challenger, Council Jerry Frey, who received 1,089 votes, or 33.58 percent.

Adams unofficially won by 1,057 votes.

There were eight write-in votes.

Ballots turned in at the last minute have not yet been counted nor added to the official tally. Election results from Yavapai County won’t be made official until 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 10.

Two-year Sedona City Council seats

In the race for a two-year council seat, political newcomer Dennis Rayner defeated incumbent Councilman Dan Surber, 1,833 to 1,284, 58.73 percent to 41.14 percent, with a margin of victory of 549 votes. There were four write-in votes.

Three four-year Sedona City Council seats

In the race for three four-year council seats voters could choose to vote for three of five candidates. Each candidate needed to win 50 percent of the electorate plus one vote to avoid running again in the general election in May. Of the 3,330 ballots cast, candidates needed 1,666 to win election.

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Political newcomers Barbara Litrell won 2,231 votes, or 66.99 percent, Mike Ward won 2,145 votes, or 66.41 percent, and Dan McIlroy 2,043 won 61.08 percent.

Incumbent Councilwoman Nancy Scagnelli received 1,279 votes, or 38.4 percent while political newcomer Jeff Siet received 834 votes, or 25.04 percent.

There were 23 write-in votes.

Proposition 400

Voters rejected Proposition 400, which would have repealed direct election for mayor in 2012, by a margin of 2,614 to 633 votes, or 80.51 percent to 19.49 percent. The mayoral seat will continue to be elected directly by the voters.

Of the 6,778 registered voters in the Sedona area, 3,330 cast ballots thus far — a voter turnout of 49.13 percent. Turnout will increase as last-minute ballots are added to the final tally.

Christopher Fox Graham

Christopher Fox Graham is the managing editor of the Sedona Rock Rock News, The Camp Verde Journal and the Cottonwood Journal Extra. Hired by Larson Newspapers as a copy editor in 2004, he became assistant manager editor in October 2009 and managing editor in August 2013. Graham has won awards for editorials, investigative news reporting, headline writing, page design and community service from the Arizona Newspapers Association. Graham has also been a guest contributor in Editor & Publisher magazine and featured in the LA Times, New York Post and San Francisco Chronicle. He lectures on journalism and First Amendment law and is a nationally recognized performance aka slam poet. Retired U.S. Army Col. John Mills, former director of Cybersecurity Policy, Strategy, and International Affairs referred to him as "Mr. Slam Poet."

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