Hayward re-elected to second term, incumbents win day
- November 4, 2014
- / Shannon Nickinson
- / government
Voters in the City of Pensacola and Escambia County went with the power of the incumbent.
City voters returned Ashton J. Hayward to office for a second term as the city's first "strong mayor."
Hayward bested challenger Donna Clark, who earned only 35 percent of the vote.
"I’m just happy it's over to be honest with you," said Hayward, taking a break from his election night gathering at Vinyl Music Hall. "To the voters in the city, I want to thank them for their amazing support and for believing in the new form of government and believing in me that I would deliver the results I said I would."
To those who did not vote for him, Hayward was gracious and said, "hopefully they will come on board with us.”
— City Councilwoman Sherri Myers, often a foil of Hayward's, beat back a challenge from Dennis Tackett to win re-election with 55 percent of the vote.
— City Councilman Brian Spencer, often counted as a Hayward ally on council, also won re-election, earning 65 percent of the vote to challenger Mark Taylor's 35 percent.
— Both amendments to the city charter were approved by voters. Amendment 1 will allow City Council to hire its own staff independent of the mayor's office. It passed with 52 percent of the vote.
Amendment 2 institutes the "right of recall" for voters to initiate against a mayor or a sitting councilmember. It passed with 75 percent of the vote.
In regards to the charter amendments, Hayward said he didn't the changes as a bad thing, but rather as an extension of the growing pains of the switch from a council-manager form of government to a strong-mayor form of municipal government.
“I think we’ve done so much so fast, and I think people want to be heard and they want to have a voice," he said. “I don’t see it as a bad thing. They see we’re getting results and they know we’re going to stay focused on getting those results.”
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