Bob Stafford wins open Fayetteville City Council seat

Fayetteville voters on Tuesday elected Bob Stafford, who serves on the city's Arts Council and was a two-term member of the Urban Forestry Board, to fill an open seat on the City Council after a four-way race.

By the numbers: Stafford won 65% of the vote, according to unofficial results from Washington County election officials. Katy Sager had 27%, David Phillips won about 6%, and S. Robert Smith gathered about 2%.

• The vote count was 1,268.

Stafford co-owns and operates Blue Star Business Services, a communications and marketing agency. He was also on the communications teams working to pass the Fayetteville Civil Rights Ordinance in 2015 and the millage campaign to expand the Fayetteville Public Library in 2016.

Background: Sonia Harvey resigned from the seat, and the city called a special election to finish out her term through 2026.

• The seat represents Ward 1, which encompasses the southern part of the city.

Go deeper: What Stafford has to say about housing costs