CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Mayor Joe Pitts easily sailed back into office Tuesday night, with almost 55% of the vote in a three-way race.
Pitts had 14,095 votes (54.54%) to David Allen’s 8,715 (33.72%) and A.C. “Big Sarge” Lopez’s 2,846 (11.01%).
Pitts told Clarksville Now the election has not been without hiccups, but he is thankful for the people of Clarksville.
“Well, it’s been difficult, but we’re proud of our record, and that’s what we’ve run on, (is) our record, and we tried to do what the public wanted us to do, which is take care of traffic, parks and recreation, public safety and affordable housing,” he said. “I’m very grateful for the public and for the people of Clarksville, my hometown. They’ve been very good, and it’s about them, it’s not about me.”
When talking about the future, Pitts mentioned that there is still work to be done. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re doing well, but not every neighborhood is doing as well, so we got to make sure we bring those people up to give them the same opportunity.”
He also noted that his reputation was what separated him from his opponents. “I stayed positive and talked about the future (and) let them talk about me.”
Allen and Lopez on the race
Allen told Clarksville Now he’s thankful for the opportunity to run for city mayor.
“I’m just thankful for the people who saw the need for change and wanted a change. I’m thankful for the supporters and all those who helped me with my campaign.”
He said this was not his first experience in an election, and each time it is different and comes with its own challenges. “It’s just been a tiring campaign, and you know when you’re running for office, you really put a lot into it. You give it your all. We live in a democratic society, and so the people have spoken, and I just accept the will of the people.”
A.C. “Big Sarge” Lopez said he knew it would be a difficult race, but he won’t stop fighting for more minority representation in city government.
“I know that it was always going to be a long shot, and I just wanted to once again be an inspiration for anybody, especially of minority descent, to have a chance to have a voice heard in the political arena,” Lopez told Clarksville Now.
He said he relied heavily on social media for his campaign, and if he were to go back and do it all over again, he would have relied on more traditional media like radio, television and billboards.
Lopez said this will likely not be the last time you see his name on a ballot. “I ran for commissioner first, and then I ran for city mayor, so I have been campaigning for nine months straight now, so I think I deserve a little bit of a vacation,” he said. “This is not the end.”
MORE: Election results: Final results for all Clarksville races, plus governor and Congress
About the candidates
Pitts, a Clarksville native who graduated from Austin Peay State University in 1980, has been mayor of Clarksville since 2019. Prior to that, he served six two-year terms as state representative for District 67. He was vice president of Planters Bank for more than 13 years.
Allen, an Air Force veteran, earned doctorate in theology from Slidell Seminary. He has been senior pastor of Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church for over 20 years. For three terms, from 2008 to 2020, Allen served as the city councilman for Ward 8 and stepped down due to term limits.
Lopez is a 100% combat disabled USMC/Army veteran who was medically retired from Fort Campbell in 2017. He served almost 22 years of active duty service with multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Lopez served as an Equal Opportunity adviser in the Army from 2009-2017.
Chris Smith and Jim Key contributed to this report.
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Correction: Joe Pitts’ wife, Cynthia Pitts, is an ordained pastor. Joe Pitts is not. The article has been updated.