Walter, Rankin head to general election
Wall, Hawkins, Larsen received enough votes to be on council
Florence Reminder & Blade Tribune
Late-arriving mail-in ballots and provisional ballots increased vote totals for Florence candidates in the primary election, but did nothing to change the tentative outcome reported last week.
Tara Walter, who drew 887 votes, will face incumbent Mayor Tom Rankin in the race for mayor in the Nov. 8 general election. Rankin drew 617 votes, and Gem Cox drew 483. Walter, the town’s vice mayor, is completing her first term on the council.
In the council race, Karen J. Wall, Bill Hawkins and Kristen Larsen received enough votes to be elected outright in the Aug. 30 primary election. Wall, who was appointed to the council last year and was running for her first full term, drew 1,120 votes, the most of any Florence candidate, according to the Pinal County elections website. Hawkins won a third term with 975, and Larsen finished a close third with 964.
