Seven new candidates joined county races as the qualification period for 2019’s election came to a close on Friday.
District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams picked up two challengers in former county road manager Victor Collins and Interstate Batteries manager Jared Pruitt.
Collins, who managed the road department from 2011 until his retirement in 2017, said he wants to ensure all of District 5’s, and the county’s, citizens receive equal representation.
In all, Collins has about 30 years of experience with the county’s road department. He said he wants to use that experience to focus on infrastructure.
“I feel like since I left the position of road manager, the quality of the roads has fallen behind,” Collins said. “I want to see if I can get the quality of roads that we’re spending tax money on back up to date.”
Collins is running as a Democrat. He’ll face Williams in an Aug. 6 party primary.
Pruitt likewise said in a Friday afternoon press release he wants to address what he described as poor road conditions. He also said he wants to avoid further tax increases.
“As supervisor, I want to ensure that all of District 5’s citizens are fairly represented and will work hard to improve our poor road conditions,” he said. “It is also time for our supervisors to start learning to budget within our means and stop asking our citizens for more and more money.”
Pruitt is running as a Republican and will face the winning Democrat in the November general election.
District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer gained a challenger as Tremell Orlando Sherman qualified to run on Friday.
Sherman did not respond to calls for comment by press time.
Other races
John Rice joined the race for the sheriff’s office.
Rice, an Oktibbeha County native and Starkville High School alumnus, said he’s worked with the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office since 2013. He worked for Columbus Police Department, beginning in 2009, prior to that.
“Drugs would be the first thing,” he said. “If you take away drugs, you take away crime.”
Rice also said he’d like to increase OSCO’s focus on public relations and working for Oktibbeha County citizens.
Rice is running as a Democrat and will face incumbent Steve Gladney and former SPD officer Brandon Gann in the August primary election.
Cindy Mills joined the Justice Court District 3 election.
Mills, the daughter of former Justice Court Judge James “Jim” Mills, is running against incumbent Marty Haug. Jim Mills did not advance to a runoff in 2015 Democratic primary for the District 3 position against Haug and Cheikh Taylor.
Mills, an office associate in MSU’s School of Human Sciences, has worked in administration at the university for 39 years.
In a Friday evening press release, Mills said the need to ensure communication between residents and law enforcement spurred her to run. She also said she plans to treat everyone fairly in court.
“If you find yourself in the court system, as a citizen of Oktibbeha County you deserve to be treated in a fair and respectful manner and that the law be applied equally and consistently to all who appear in the Justice Court system,” she said.
Mills qualified to run as a Republican and will face Haug, a Democrat, in November’s general election.
Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees member John S. Brown registered to run against incumbent Tax Assessor Allen Morgan.
Brown registered to run as an independent. Morgan is a Republican.
Brown unsuccessfully sought the seat in 2015 and was elected in 2016 to the school board. He’s currently retired but has worked for the state of Mississippi for more than 25 years, in law enforcement, management and education.
If elected, Brown said he’d like to see a focus on customer service in the Tax Assessor’s office and to help see what taxes can be lowered.
He also said he’s not currently sure if he’d need to step down from his position on the school board if elected, but is willing to if needed.
“I don’t want to do anything that would even look bad,” he said. “I don’t want to look bad for the schools or the school board because I’ve been very pleased with serving there, but if they tell me that morally, or ethically, it’s not right, I’ll have to make that decision.”
Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk Tony Rook qualified to seek re-election on Friday. Rook, who registered as an independent, is running unopposed.
Oktibbeha County Chancery Clerk Sharon Livingston changed her party affiliation to Republican. Livingston, who faces a challenger in Democrat Martesa Bishop Flowers, had originally registered to run as a Democrat.
Oktibbeha County 2019 qualifiers
Sheriff
Steve C. Gladney (D)
Brandon Gann (D)
John Rice Sheriff (D)
Circuit Court Clerk Tony Rook (IND)
Chancery Court Clerk
Sharon Livingston (R)
Martesa Bishop Flowers (D)
Tax Assessor/Collector Allen Morgan (R)
John S. Brown (IND)
County Prosecutor
Haley M. Brown (D)
Coroner
Michael Hunt (D)
Supervisor D-1
John P. Montgomery Jr. (R)
Clint McCain (D)
Supervisor D-2
Orlando Trainer (D)
Tremell Orlando Sherman (D)
Supervisor D-3
Marvell Howard (D)
Rudy Johnson (R)
Dennis Daniels (R)
Supervisor D-4
Bricklee Miller (R)
Daniel B. Jackson (D)
Leonardo “Knot Knot” Thompson (D)
Supervisor D-5
Joe L. Williams (D)
Victor K. Collins (D)
Jared J. Pruitt (R)
Constable D-1
Shank Phelps (R)
Constable D-2
Curtis D. Randle (D)
Constable D-3
James E. Lindsey (R)
Justice Court Judge D-1
William Anton “Tony” Boykin, Jr. (D)
Brian Michael Lindner (D)
Justice Court Judge D-2
Larnzy Lee Carpenter Jr. (D)
Kennedy Neal (D)
Justice Court Judge D-3
C. Marty Haug (D)
Cindy Mills (R)
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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