Ward 5’s alderman election will now be decided in the May 2 Democratic primary after Republican candidate Chase Neal withdrew from the race on Monday.
Neal, 34, did not give a specific reason for his departure but said “things are in motion that will not permit me to give my full attention to the Ward 5 race.”
“I did enjoy campaigning and getting to know the people of Starkville and Starkville’s issues more intimately,” he said.
Neal is the first candidate to pull out of Starkville’s municipal election cycle this year.
Ward 5 is guaranteed to have new representation beginning July 1 as incumbent Alderman Scott Maynard declined to seek re-election.
The ward’s Democratic primary between Kayla Gilmore and Patrick Miller will now decide who fills his seat for the next four years.
Gilmore, 33, is a former city election commissioner who vacated her position to run for office. She is the owner of KMG Creations Dance, Fitness and Productions.
Miller, 26, is an employee of the Mississippi State University Extension Center for Government and Community Development. He is also Ward 5’s representative on the Starkville Planning and Zoning Commission.
Democratic and Republican primaries will be held May 2, and the general election is scheduled for June 6.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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