DATE: Wednesday, November 5, 1997           TAG: 9711051151

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY JEFFREY S. HAMPTON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY                    LENGTH:   45 lines

ROBINSON WINS 4TH WARD RUNOFF INCUMBENT RETAINS CITY COUNCIL SEAT BY A HANDFUL OF VOTES; HE CALLS IT A MIRACLE

In what he calls a ``miracle,'' 11-year City Council incumbent A.C. Robinson Jr. held off challenger William ``Olie'' Leary by a handful of votes in a runoff in the 4th Ward.

``It was a concern,'' Robinson said over the noise of his supporters celebrating in his home. ``I realize that when you believe in God, he does miracles with small numbers. I just believed we would come through.''

The 27 percent turnout matched the percentage voting in the citywide election last month.

In the Oct. 7 election, Robinson collected 313 votes to Leary's 306 in a three-way race. Carlotta Jordan finished a distant third.

Leary called for a runoff the next day. Both candidates have campaigned hard in the last month.

``This was wonderful,'' said Glenda Crane, director of the Pasquotank County Board of Elections. ``Hardly anybody shows up for a runoff.''

Robinson, a retired administrator at Elizabeth City State University, is the longest sitting member of the council and has chaired several council committees.

Two weeks ago, he was nearly elected as an officer of the North Carolina League of Municipalities, a prestigious position that would have drawn statewide attention to Elizabeth City.

In 1986, Robinson was one of the first blacks elected to the City Council after a bitter three-year lawsuit by the NAACP that forced Elizabeth City to change from an at-large system to a ward system. The ward system divided the city into more racially balanced voting districts. After the 1987 elections, the council was equally split - four blacks and four whites.Robinson had tried and failed to win a City Council seat in 1977 and failed to win the mayor's seat in 1979, 1981 and 1984. The mayor was and still is elected under the at-large system.

Leary retired last year after 30 years with the Elizabeth City Police Department. This was his first try for public office. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

Robinson KEYWORDS: ELECTION RESULTS ELIZABETH CITY CITY COUNCIL

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