Three out of four “flip the board” candidates won in their respective Aldermanic races on Tuesday, April 6, bringing a more explicitly progressive stance to the Board of Aldermen. The “flip the board” effort, led by 15th Ward Alderwoman Megan Ellyia Green, has since 2020 been pushing to create a new progressive majority on the Board of Aldermen. On a 28-member board, even a few votes can change the balance of power significantly on critical issues.
While 16 of the city’s 28 wards were up for re-election this year, only 12 races included multiple candidates. According to unofficial results, three of the candidates that came out on top were part of the “flip the board” slate. Anne Schweitzer won with a large majority of several hundred votes against 13th ward incumbent Beth Murphy, while in the 17th ward urban planner Tina “Sweet-T” Pihl scraped by with a slight margin of 19 votes over her opponent, Michelle Sherod. Pihl will be replacing retiring Alderman Joe Roddy.
In the 12th Ward, Bill Stephens narrowly defeated Vicky Grass, and in the 5th ward, James Page — a candidate supported by several local progressives, though not formally part of the “flip the board” slate — unseated Tammika Hubbard.
Not all of the “flip the board” candidates were successful, though: Shedrick “Nato Caliph” Kelley lost in the 7th ward to incumbent Jack Coatar by a margin of over 100 votes. And several other Board races went to incumbent candidates: Green in the 15th ward, John Collins Muhammad in the 21st, Marlene Davis in the 19th, and Dwinderlin Evans in the 4th.
The new Board of Aldermen will begin working with Mayor-elect Tishaura Jones in two weeks. Final unofficial election results as of Wednesday morning are below, with winning candidates listed first.
Ward 1
Sharon Tyus: 847 (57.66%)
Yolanda Brown: 620 (42.21%)
Ward 3
Brandon Bosley: 750 (64.94%)
Herdosia Bentum: 400 (34.63%)
Ward 4
Dwinderlin Evans: 789 (62.57%)
Edward McFowland III: 467 (37.03%)
Ward 5
James Page: 717 (52.49%)
Tammika Hubbard: 643 (47.07%)
Ward 7
Jack Coatar: 1359 (52.21%)
SHEDRICK KELLEY: 1237 (47.52%)
Ward 9
Dan Guenther: 1419 (65.45%)
Ken Ortmann: 745 (34.36%)
Ward 11
Sarah Martin: 1234 (95.73%)
Ward 12
Bill Stephens: 1421 (51.50%)
Vicky Grass: 1330 (48.21%)
Ward 13
Anne Schweitzer: 1496 (62.67%)
Beth Murphy: 885 (37.08%)
Ward 15
Megan Green: 1916 (67.25%)
Jennifer Florida: 927 (32.54%)
Ward 17
Michelle Sherod: 1132 (49.52%)
Tina Pihl: 1151 (50.35%)
Ward 19
Marlene Davis: 1014 (77.52%)
Cleo Willis: 289 (22.09%)
Ward 21
John Collins-Muhammad: 1031 (60.90%)
Laura Keys: 655 (38.69%)
Ward 23
Joseph Vaccaro: 2750 (94.34%)
Ward 25
Shane Cohn: 1010 (96.74%)
Ward 27
Pamela Boyd: 810 (54.47%)
Chris Carter: 663 (44.59%)
