Mark Riggins won the Clarksville mayor's race with 44.6% of the vote in unofficial results. Bill Cody took Ward 2 by seven votes, and five other council seats were decided.
Mark Riggins will be Clarksville’s next mayor. He won 16,092 votes, or 44.55%, in Tuesday’s unofficial count. That put him 1,010 votes ahead of council member Wanda Smith.
The figures come from the Montgomery County Election Commission’s election summary report. It was posted at 9:25 p.m. Tuesday with all 39 precincts reporting. The results stay unofficial until the commission certifies them.
The race for City Council’s Ward 2 seat was the closest on the ballot. Bill Cody finished seven votes ahead of Eric W. Claunch.
The mayor’s race
- Mark Riggins: 16,092 votes (44.55%)
- Wanda Smith: 15,082 votes (41.75%)
- Brian Zacharias: 4,819 votes (13.34%)
- Write-in: 128 votes (0.35%)
Riggins is general manager of Clarksville Gas & Water. Smith represents Ward 6 on the City Council and Zacharias represents Ward 1.
Mayor Joe Pitts congratulated “Mayor-Elect Mark Riggins” in a statement on the city’s website on Wednesday. He said Riggins and the new council members will be sworn in “shortly after the New Year, as provided in City Code.”
Updated Nov. 10: Pitts welcomed Riggins to City Hall on Monday, Nov. 9, for their first one-on-one meeting of the transition, the city said. The two will work together through the holiday season, and Riggins takes office in the new year. No swearing-in date has been announced.
“I have always appreciated Mark Riggins’ leadership as General Manager of Clarksville Gas & Water,” Pitts said.
City Council results
Six of the council’s 12 ward seats were on the ballot. All terms are four years.
| Ward | Winner | Votes | Runner-up | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ward 1 | Sabrena Gillespie | 769 (49.01%) | Larry Allen | 540 (34.42%) |
| Ward 2 | Bill Cody | 1,074 (49.61%) | Eric W. Claunch | 1,067 (49.28%) |
| Ward 6 | Charles “Chas” Uffelman | 832 (44.97%) | Justin Swallows | 793 (42.86%) |
| Ward 7 | Christina Lee Hardesty | 2,083 (57.62%) | John Dewey Robinson | 1,513 (41.85%) |
| Ward 10 | Stacey Streetman | 2,664 (51.07%) | Chris Reneau | 2,528 (48.47%) |
| Ward 11 | Billy Lange | 2,434 (97.99%) | Write-in | 50 (2.01%) |
Adolph Dagan drew 252 votes (16.06%) in Ward 1. Zachary Arthur Walker drew 218 votes (11.78%) in Ward 6. Billy Lange had no opponent on the ballot in Ward 11.
Besides Ward 2, two more races were decided by fewer than 150 votes:
- Ward 6: Uffelman won by 39 votes.
- Ward 10: Streetman won by 136 votes.
How Montgomery County voted in state and federal races
These are Montgomery County’s votes only. Districts and statewide races that reach beyond the county are decided by the full count, which the Tennessee Secretary of State publishes.
- Governor: Democrat Jerri Green 27,759 (48.53%), Republican Marsha Blackburn 24,018 (41.99%), independent David Hatley 4,111 (7.19%).
- U.S. Senate: Democrat Marquita Bradshaw 27,373 (48.88%), Republican Bill Hagerty 27,311 (48.77%). That is a 62-vote gap in the county.
- U.S. House District 7 (county portion): Republican Matt Van Epps 23,393 (51.74%), Democrat Darden Copeland 20,917 (46.26%).
- U.S. House District 5 (county portion): Democrat Chaz Molder 5,109 (61.67%), Republican Charlie Hatcher 2,867 (34.61%).
- State House District 67: Democrat Ronnie L. Glynn 9,754 (62.83%), Republican Chris Lanier 5,739 (36.97%).
- State House District 68: Republican Aron Maberry 14,152 (57.66%), Democrat Garfield Scott 10,318 (42.04%).
- State House District 75 (county portion): Democrat Allie Phillips 7,822 (54.90%), Republican Michael Lankford 6,396 (44.89%).
County voters said yes to all three proposed amendments to the Tennessee Constitution. The yes share was 67.74% on Amendment 1, 64.19% on Amendment 2 and 76.62% on Amendment 3. Whether an amendment passes depends on the statewide count.
Turnout
The commission counted 57,455 ballots from 158,233 registered voters, a turnout of 36.31%.
- Early in-person votes: 31,863
- Election Day votes: 24,554
- Paper absentee ballots: 1,038
More than half the county’s ballots were cast before Election Day. Our early voting story compares the early count with 2022.
What it means for you
- City Hall changes hands in January. Riggins and the six council members take office shortly after the New Year, according to Pitts’ statement. Pitts remains mayor until then.
- Check your ward. The precinct-by-precinct results are on the Election Commission’s results page. Our voting guide has the commission’s contact details.
- The numbers can still move slightly. These are unofficial results. A seven-vote margin in Ward 2 means the certified count is worth watching. We will update this story when the commission certifies the results.
- Questions about your ballot go to the Montgomery County Election Commission at 931-648-5707, 350 Pageant Lane, Suite 404.
More from City Hall: who to call at City Hall and property taxes.
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