Montrell Coburn will again challenge incumbent Robert Smith in the mayor’s race.
Coburn, an independent, is guaranteed a spot in the general election on June 8 and will not be on the ballot for the primaries in April. His entry makes for a three-person race between him, fellow independent Keith Gaskin and Smith, a Democrat who has held the mayoral office since 2006.
Coburn did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
Smith easily defeated Coburn in the 2017 election, with 3,023 votes to Coburn’s 703.
Additionally, Democrat Tommy “TJ” Jackson will face incumbent Ward 1 Councilwoman Ethel Taylor Stewart in the April 6 primary. The winner of the primary will go on to face independent candidate Kallie Phillips in June.
Jackson previously ran for the council seat in the 2019 special election after Stewart’s brother, Gene Taylor, died in August 2019 after holding the seat for more than three terms. Nine candidates ran for the seat, and Jackson placed fourth while Stewart went on to win in a runoff election.
Jackson has lived in Ward 1 for three decades and has worked for the Columbus Municipal School District, in maintenance and food service positions, for about 20 years, according to previous Dispatch reporting.
He also could not be reached for comment by press time.
Tess Vrbin was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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