A total of 38 candidates have qualified to run for office in Lowndes County.
The two-month window to qualify for local and state races closed at 5 p.m. Friday, and Lowndes County will have plenty of choices to contemplate on the August primary and November general election ballots.
An eight-candidate circuit clerk race proved the most sought after post as four Republicans, a Democrat, two independents and a Libertarian all hope to replace retiring clerk Haley Salazar. Beyond that race, three Democrats hope to unseat Republican incumbent Lowndes County Sheriff Mike Arledge, and four of five Lowndes supervisor seats are contested.
Three candidates each are running for superintendent of schools and chancery clerk, while two candidates are taking aim at the District 1 constable post.
In state races affecting Lowndes County, contests developed in House districts 41 and 36, as well as Senate District 17.
Lowndes Co. contested races
Circuit Clerk
■ Teresa Barksdale
Republican
Age: 52
A deputy circuit clerk in the criminal records division for 20 years, she’s also the daughter of former deputy circuit clerk Mary Clark.
■ Sheri Taylor Bedwell
Libertarian
Did not return messages Friday or Saturday from The Dispatch
■ Margie Canon
Republican
Age: 55
Canon retired after 29 years of teaching students with special needs in Columbus.
■ Chuck Easley
Republican
Age: 65
Easley has 35 years of experience as a lawyer and judge. He served on the Mississippi Supreme Court from 2001-2008 and currently practices law in Columbus.
■ Justin Shelton
Republican
Age: 40
Co-owner of the Columbus Packet and is president of Justin International Products, a textile exporting company. He was defeated in the circuit clerk race in 2012.
■ Joseph Mickens
Democrat
Age: N/A
Mickens is serving his second term as Columbus councilman for Ward 2. He owns Floor Specialist in Columbus.
■ Tim Heard
Independent
Age: 53
Heard has worked with Golden Triangle Planning and Development District for 21 years, where he has provided computing services for all seven counties in the planning district, including Lowndes.
■ Jackie Leach
Independent
Age: 49
A former teacher, Leach is now a substitute and volunteer with Columbus Municipal School District. She represented Ward 5 on the Columbus City Council from 1993-97.
Sheriff
■ Mike Arledge
Republican incumbent
Age: 59
First elected sheriff in 2011, he’s retired from a 25-year career with the Mississippi Department of Safety. Arledge also served two terms as a Lowndes County justice court judge.
■ Selvain McQueen
Democrat
Age: N/A
McQueen, who has more than 25 years of law enforcement experience, retired in 2014 as Columbus police chief. Before that, he served stints as interim police chief and head of CPD’s Criminal Investigation Division.
■ Anthony Nelson
Democrat
Age: 54
Nelson has worked with juvenile detention for 12 years and is a former Lowndes County sheriff’s deputy.
■ Bobby Webber
Democrat
Age: 46
Webber, a Lowndes County native, served with CPD for eight years. He served as chief of the Brooksville Police Department for three-plus years and served in Operation Desert Storm.
District 1 Supervisor
■ Phillip Atkins
Independent
Age: 58
Atkins is a lifelong Lowndes County resident and is a self-employed general contractor. He lost to Sanders in the 2011 Republican primary.
■ Pauline Redmond
Republican
Age: 56
A former Red Cross volunteer in Lowndes County, Redmond writes articles for emergency management publications.
■ Harry Sanders
Republican incumbent
Age: 70
A four-term supervisor, Sanders is in his third term as board president. He retired in 1995 after serving 30 years as president of Sanders Oil Company.
District 3 Supervisor
■ Patrick “P.J.” Hughes
Republican
Age: 33
Hughes is a systems analyst with 4-County Electric.
■ John Holliman
Republican incumbent
Age: 67
Holliman is seeking his third term on the Board of Supervisors.
District 4 Supervisor
■ Joe Brooks
Democrat
Age: 63
A former supervisor and board president, Brooks owns a medical transportation company and is pastor at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus.
■ Jeff Smith
Democrat incumbent
Age: 52
Smith is serving his second term on the board of supervisors
District 5 Supervisor
■ Leroy Brooks
Democrat incumbent
Age: 61
Brooks is seeking his ninth term on the Board of Supervisors.
■ Ricky Hill Sr.
Democrat
Age: 55
Hill is the former boys’ basketball coach at West Lowndes High School.
■ Marty Turner
Democrat
Age: 37
Turner is his first term as Columbus councilman for Ward 4.
Chancery Clerk
■ Lisa Younger Neese
Republican incumbent
Age: 56
Neese is serving her third term as chancery clerk. She was a deputy chancery clerk for 20 years before that.
■ Andre Deforrest Roberts
Democrat
Age: 41
Roberts is a former Columbus police officer and Army National Guard veteran.
Lowndes Co. Superintendent of Education
■ Sammy Sullivan
Republican
Age: 49
Sullivan has worked as New Hope High School assistant principal for five years.
■ Tim Wilcox
Republican
Age: 50
Wilcox is the principal at Cook Elementary in Columbus and a former assistant principal at New Hope.
■ Lynn Wright
Republican incumbent
Age: 62
Wright is serving his first term as superintendent. He is the former Nw Hope High School principal.
Constable District 1
■ Chris Griffin
Republican
Age: 50
Griffin has served in law enforcement since 1990, currently working as an auxiliary Lowndes County sheriff’s deputy. He is part owner of Southern Civil Contracting.
■ Willie H. “Hoot” West
Democrat incumbent
Age: 77
A lifelong Caledonia resident, West has served 45 years as constable.
House District 41
■ Esther Harrison
Democrat incumbent
Age: 68
Harrison has served in the House since 2000.
■ Kabir Karriem
Democrat
Age: 42
Karriem is serving his second term as Columbus councilman for Ward 5.
House District 36
■ Jimmy Davidson
Democrat
Age: 57
Owned the contracting firm Davco LLC for 16 years and is making his third attempt at the District 36 seat.
■ Karl Gibbs
Democrat incumbent
Age: 45
First won election in 2013 to fill the unexpired term of his late father, David Gibbs.
■ Edward Houston Jr.
Democrat
Age: 47
A retired Clay County drug court director. Also retired after 24 years with the Army National Guard, unsuccessfully ran for Clay County sheriff in 2011.
Senate District 17
■ Robert A. Patrick Jr.
Republican
Age: 68
A retired State Farm insurance agent, Patrick lost a special election bid for the senate seat in 2014.
■ Charles A. Younger
Republican incumbent
Age: 51
Elected in 2014 to fill the unexpired term of the late Se. Terry Brown. He is a Lowndes County farmer.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
