PRATTVILLE − Michael Whaley took the special election for Prattville City Council District 5 on Tuesday, collecting enough votes to win without a runoff in the three-man race.
In complete but unofficial results, Whaley gathered 177 votes to Mark Rhodes’ total of 67 and Christopher Tarantino’s take of 39. This is Whaley’s first foray into politics.
He is a retired deputy fire chief for the Prattville Fire Department and now works for Sunbelt Fire as equipment sales manager for central Alabama.
There were three provisional ballots cast, but even if all three are certified and counted, it won’t be enough to force a runoff. The election results will be certified Tuesday.
Whaley can be sworn in to the post after certification. Tuesday also marks the second meeting of the month for the council, so he could be sworn in and go right to work.
The seat has been open since October when Blair Gornto resigned from the post, stating his new job presented a conflict of interest.