South Alabamian

Municipal elections get green light for Aug. 25



Many Alabama municipalities, including all in southwest Alabama, will hold elections on Aug. 25 as scheduled.

The Alabama League of Municipalities had considered seeking a one-year delay because of the coronavirus pandemic but a final decision was made last week to proceed with the elections as planned.

Had there been a postponement, elections would have been held next year and the four-year terms would have been abbreviated to three years in order to keep the normal election cycles on schedule.

Candidates can’t qualify until July 7 but all of the incumbents and some newcomers have already announced their intentions to run in Jackson.

Candidates announced so far in Jackson:

Mayor: Incumbent Paul South, Asberry Daffin and Eldridge Jackson Jr., who currently serves on the city council.

Council, District 1, Place 1: Kedrick Bettis.

Council, District 1, Place 2: Incumbent Jane James.

Council, District 2, Place 1: Incumbent Audra Raybon.

Council, District 2, Place 2: Incumbent Jimmy Atchison and Mac Stewart.

Council, District 3, Place 1: Incumbent Carol Goolsby.

For Council, District 3, Place 2: Incumbent Daron Bolen.

Candidates in other municipalities haven’t come out the gate as fast as in Jackson but there is talk of candidates in several places.

In Grove Hill, Cynthia Jackson is mayor. Council members include Ross Wood, District 1; Lanessa Pugh, District 2; Phyllis Barnes, District 3; Verria Beckham, District 4; and Kossie Powell District 5.

In Thomasville, Mayor Sheldon Day is expected to seek a seventh term.

Council members are Roy Waite, District 1; Jacques Prescott, District 2; Bill Davis, District 3; Charles Allen, District 4; and Alberta Dixon, District 5.

Mike Norris is the mayor in Fulton. Council members include Tiffany Powell, Kim Averitt, Frank Martin, Danny Bedwell and Betty Luker.

Fulton is different from the other county municipalities in that all council members run at large and not from specific districts. The top five vote-getters are elected.

In Coffeeville, Dwight Pugh is mayor. There are two council districts. One district has a majority black population with two seats represented by Bessie Thomas and Ambra Thigpen. The other district is majority white with three council members, Jenny Pope, Brent Fuller and Ben Harper.

Washington County

There are three municipalities in Washington County.

In Chatom, Harold Crouch is mayor. Council members are Cleophus Stephens, Carl Craig, R. Wayne Blackwell, Walter T. Hazen and Tina A. Jones.

Wilbert Dixon is mayor in McIntosh. Randall W. Davidson, Norman Howard, Roosevelt Adams, Nancy Alston and Walter B. Johnson are council members.

Millry’s mayor is Stanton Hendry. Council members are Bryan Connell, Marchella Mitchell, Clint Elmore, Brandon Armstrong and William Jones.

Elections are Aug. 25 with any runoffs to be held on Oct. 6. New and re-elected officials begin terms Nov. 2.

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