Morehead wins landslide city council election

With 65 percent of the vote, Mark Morehead won the District 1 Newark City Council election on Tuesday, defeating three other candidates.

Morehead, 52, received 303 out of the 463 votes cast. Robyn Harland, 66, was the runner-up with 99 votes.

Despite the rain and wind, residents of District 1 came out to the polling place on Barksdale Road, to cast their votes.

Wilma-Lee Short, 77, said she voted for Morehead because of his more moderate position on the university.

"It was obvious from the start that he wanted a more liberal relationship with the university and the city," she said. "The university is why we moved to Newark, and we wanted a councilman who appreciated the contributions it has made for the city."

Robert Warren, 79, said he voted for Harland because he believed she was the firmer candidate.

"She's got specific programs that will benefit the city, and has the better background of experience," Warren said.

Morehead, who spent part of the day greeting voters at the polling place, said he was excited with the results but did not expect the vote to turn out differently.

"It was clear from the beginning that Robyn and I had the closest chances," Morehead said.

He said he hopes he can work with all of his constituents.

"Now my job is to represent everyone in District 1, not just those who voted for me," Morehead said. "This gives me an opportunity to flesh out my policy on City Council."

Robyn Harland, 66, was also greeting voters at to the polling place. She said she was grateful for the votes she received and said Morehead will do well as a councilman.

"I'm happy with the 99 votes, which is pretty good considering I've only lived here for 2 years," Harland said. "Mark is a stand-up guy and will do a good job."

District 2 councilman Jerry Clifton was pleased with the results.

"I think Mark is going to bring tremendous value to City Council," Clifton said. "I'm looking forward to working with him."

Morehead will be officially declared the new city councilman one week from the election date, in accordance with state law.

Read more about the election in Tuesday's issue of The Review.