WMBFNews.com | Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC | News, Weather, SportsUnofficial results: Lawson winner of Conway mayor race

Unofficial results: Lawson winner of Conway mayor race

By Laura Thomas - bio | email
and Nikki Gaskins - bio | email

CONWAY, SC (WMBF) - As of Tuesday evening, Alys Lawson has been elected as the next mayor of Conway. While results are still unofficial, election officials do not expect a run-off to take place. 

Lawson won the position with 947 votes Tuesday night. Leslie McIver took home 461 votes, while Vivian Chestnut netted 360 and Russ Calhoun won over 89 voters. After an official verification of votes, Lawson will serve as the town's next mayor through the end of 2011.

Election officials tell WMBF News that only 25 fail-safe ballots are expected to be checked.

Ranging from a political rookie to long-term politicians, the residents of Conway had a wide variety of candidates from which to choose. 

Preliminary numbers in the race are as follows:

Tuesday's election comes in wake of the September death of Gregory K. Martin, who had been serving as Conway's mayor since 1995.  Medical examiners say Martin, 51, died from a combination of a myocardial infarction and dehydration.

Since his death, Alys Lawson has been serving as the interim mayor, and is officially running for office as a candidate on Tuesday's ballot.

The following is information on the four candidates appearing on Tuesday's ballot:

• Alys Lawson has been a member of the Conway City Council since 1999.  She served as the Mayor Pro Tem in 2002 and again between Jan. 14 to Sept. 13, 2008.  After the death of Martin, Lawson began serving as the area's mayor on Sept. 14. 

  Over the years, Lawson has served on the Collins Park Committee and was appointed as chairwoman of the City Elections Commission.

  Lawson has been married to her husband, Ed, for 25 years and has two children - Kate, 22, and Paul, 20.

• Vivian Chestnut, the second name on Tuesday's ballot, has also served on the Conway City Council alongside Lawson.  Chestnut has held a seat on that council since 1994 and was appointed Mayor Pro Tem in 1997 and 2003.  She has been an active member of the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and Conway Main Street USA. 

  Chestnut is the recipient of the CAMEO Award, the Order of the Silver Crescent, and also the Lifetime Achievement Award and Outstanding Service Award by Main Street USA.

  After marrying her husband, Paul, Chestnut has raised two daughters and is the grandmother of four.

• Leslie McIver is looking to add mayor to his list of political positions after Tuesday's election.  According to his website, McIver has served in regional government for 25 years and has spent over 12 of those serving as a councilman.  The experienced politician has also served as Mayor Pro Tempore.
• Russ Calhoun is the "newcomer" to the Conway political scene, hoping to bring a new vision to town business.  Calhoun graduated from Conway High School in 1995, where he went on to attend Horry Georgetown Technical College. 

There are 7,694 people eligible to vote in Tuesday's mayoral election.

©2008 WMBF News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.