The Marion votes are official, and Tony Long will be the next mayor, City Clerk Carolyn Thomas said.

“There will be no runoffs,” she said.

The council met early Thursday morning to discuss the votes, which included more than 1,000 absentee votes, and decided the last tally, putting Long ahead of Robert Bryant and Herb Tucker, would be the final tally.

Bryant indicated through his friend and attorney Albert Turner Jr. he would contest the election if the count was upheld. Neither Bryant not Turner could be reached before presstime Thursday.

Other winners from the Tuesday night election include Spencer Hogue Jr., district 1, James P. Hollis, district 2, Brandon S. Taylor, district 3, Willie L. Jackson, district 4 and Corin Harrison Jr., district 5.

Though the number of absentee ballots was only 34 votes shy of the number of residents who voted at the polls, district attorney Ed Green said that wasn’t unusual.

“It’s not unusual at all to have a lot of absentee votes in Marion or Perry County,” he said.

He said the only calls he had received regarding the large number of absentee ballots were from members of the media.