Sedona Vice Mayor Jablow wins mayor's race

SEDONA — Former Vice Mayor Scott Jablow will become the new mayor of Sedona as final election results were released more than a week after Election Day.

Jablow developed an early lead over challenger Samaire Armstrong and maintained his hold on the race as votes continued to trickle in over the past week.

The city is split between both Yavapai County and Coconino County. As such, votes are cast in both counties and ultimately combined to make up the overall vote tally.

Jablow earned over 56% of the total votes cast, according to the unofficial final results from both counties.

After the release of the first batch of results on Election night, Jablow appeared to have a strong lead in both counties. Armstrong was able to cut into his lead by Wednesday morning but still trailed significantly.  

Election Day coverage: Arizona election results

Both candidates largely agree on the biggest problems facing the city but have very different approaches about how best to fix them. 

Jablow and his wife retired to Sedona in 2010 after his 30-year career as a police officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and he has been serving the community in some capacity for the past decade. 

After first being appointed to the city Planning and Zoning Commission in 2011, he then served on the Fire District Governing Board before being elected to City Council in 2014. He was appointed vice mayor six years later.

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Self-described reformer Armstrong, meanwhile, has family ties to the area with roots stretching back nearly 30 years. After graduating from Sedona Red Rock High School, Armstrong moved to California to pursue a career in acting but soon felt the Verde Valley calling her back, especially when she was looking for the best place to raise her son.

When she thought her community was growing more divided, she decided to join the mayor's race. Now, she's hoping to bring a new perspective to multiple aspects of the changing city.

Three Sedona City Council positions with four-year terms have been decided.

Pete Furman, Brian Fultz and Melissa Dunn received enough votes in the July primary to advance unopposed to the November ballot.

Furman, Fultz and Dunn will be first-time members of the City Council.

Contact northern Arizona reporter Lacey Latch at llatch@gannett.com or on social media @laceylatch. Coverage of northern Arizona on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is funded by the nonprofit Report for America and a grant from the Vitalyst Health Foundation in association with The Arizona Republic.