• Big sign on Ortega Boulevard near the home of attorney Curry Pajcic, part of the family law firm that’s backing Nat Glover: “Nat Pajcic for Mayor.”
• That fire truck seen around town, touting John Peyton’s campaign is not City property. It’s a rental from a company that deals in surplus fire equipment.
• The Supervisor of Elections Office reported a few minor problems with the way ballots were fed into voting machines early Tuesday, but the glitches were resolved by mid-day.
• First on Peyton’s agenda today? “Unify the Republican party.”
• What song played over the loudspeaker after it was announced Peyton would move onto the general election? “This is My Country.”
• Karen Nasrallah of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission was so nervous as she waited for Mike Weinstein to arrive at his headquarters she pulled one of the buttons off of her coat.
• R. Stuart Jones of the Weinstein campaign was flown in from Arkansas two weeks before election day to step up the grassroots campaign. He said he’s enjoyed Jacksonville and he’s gotten what he expected: “A good time and a good tan.”
• Matt Carlucci entered the Knights of Columbus building just after 9 p.m. to roaring cheers. “With all these people, how the heck are we in fourth place?” he asked. With 70 percent of the votes counted, Carlucci wasn’t ready to face defeat. “Stranger things have happened in politics,” he said. “I’m not ready to say anything just yet. We still have a little ways to go.”
• Weinstein and his wife Sara entered his campaign headquarters at 9:23 p.m., facing third place with almost 80 percent of the votes counted. “It’s still within reach,” said Weinstein. “I’m feeling good right now.”
• At 10 p.m., Weinstein and company was gathered around the television for live news coverage. “It’s the most nervous hour of his life,” said Ch. 4 anchor Tom Wills of Weinstein. “No it’s not,” said Sara Weinstein.
• At 10:22 p.m., with a solid third place finish, Weinstein greeted his crowd. “We had a great run. All the candidates should be very proud of the race we ran as a group,” he said, making light of his next move. “I’ll look for a tee time on a golf course soon. Other than that, I’m not sure what I’ll do next.”
• “While sheriff, we reduced the crime rate every year,” said Glover. “As sheriff, I took the Jacksonville Police Department to the people. As mayor, I will take City Hall to the people by walking the neighborhoods and talking to you across your fences. I will take City Hall to the people by getting our civil service and committed employees out from behind the desk to make sure inspections are done and our potholes are filled.”
• Glover expressed hope that the runoff is free of “partisanship or division” and said he’ll take a brief respite from the rigors of campaigning. “We got a date, May 13, so we don’t need to take that for granted,” he said. “Our people worked so hard. We’re going to take some time and enjoy this.”