The Oktibbeha County primary elections Tuesday will decide the Democratic and Republican nominees for the general election in November.
The two most tightly-contested races are for Oktibbeha County sheriff and circuit clerk.
Voting begins at various locations around Starkville and Oktibbeha County at 7 a.m. and concludes at 7 p.m.
Below is a breakdown of the races for sheriff and circuit clerk, as well as a list of candidates for other races in the county.
—OKTIBBEHA COUNTY SHERIFF
Dolph Bryan has been Oktibbeha County sheriff since 1976, but three other Democratic candidates and one Republican are vying for the position.
Most of the candidates acknowledge the growing drug problem in the community.
Bryan (D), 68, has held the office of Oktibbeha sheriff since 1976 after a brief 3 1/2 years as a deputy with the OCSO. In his 35 years on the job, Bryan has graduated from the National FBI Academy, the National Fire Academy, Department of Homeland Security”s terrorism bomb school and suicide bombing seminar and myriad additional training programs.
Bryan has been a citizen of Oktibbeha County since 1943 and attended classes at Mississippi State University as well as the University of Alabama.
Steve Gladney (D), 55, has devoted 30 years of his life to law enforcement. He spent 28 1/2 years with the Mississippi Highway Patrol and now works part-time with the Starkville Police Department.
Gladney is a Winston county native but has lived in Oktibbeha since attending MSU 31 years ago.
Rudy Johnson (R), 60, is currently president of the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District. Johnson earned bachelor”s and master”s degrees from Mississippi State. The Kosciusko native, who has lived in Oktibbeha since 1970, spent 10 years as the assistant director of East Mississippi Community College Golden Triangle before taking the helm at the GTPDD. Johnson believes his work overseeing the GTPDD”s $17 million budget and 200 employees makes him the best candidate to oversee the OCSO.
Jessie “Bone” Oden (D), 67, retired from the OCSO in 1998 after 22 years on the job.
The Oktibbeha native has completed law enforcement certifications at the state and federal level in addition to SWAT training and 40 hours of classes at MSU.
Oden has remained active in law enforcement since retiring and points to his experience as his greatest asset.
Charlie Sanders (D), resigned from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to campaign full time for sheriff. During his time with MDWFP he managed the Oktibbeha County lake and other local resources. Prior to that he spent eight years as an auxiliary deputy with the OCSO, 25 years as chief of the Memphis City Fire Department and six years in the Marines.
—OKTIBBEHA COUNTY CIRCUIT CLERK
Angie McGinnis has spent 22 years as Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk and will not seek re-election in Tuesday”s primary.
Four Democrats and one Republican are vying for the position, which is responsible for coordinating county elections and handling court records.
The candidates are:
Debra Prisock Wood (D), 55, is already a certified court clerk, serving as Starkville Municipal Court clerk since 1991. She says keeping track of more than $1 million each year in municipal court fines and fees has prepared her to take over for the county court system.
Dave Holley (D), 48, is currently an investigator for the 16th District Circuit Court. Holley worked for a federally funded drug task force which operated in multiple counties and spent some time as an investigator with the Starkville Police Department. All told, he has 22 years of experience working with various courts in some capacity.
Holley says pending redistricting and the recent addition of a third circuit court judge for the area necessitate McGinnis” successor be up to speed when they take over in January.
Teresa Davis-Roberson (D), 34, is the youngest candidate in the field. She believes her management, financial and organizational experience combined with her people skills are up to the task of succeeding McGinnis.
Davis-Roberson currently works as receiving services coordinator for Mississippi State University, but she has experience in banking, customer service and teaching. The Sturgis native graduated from MSU in 2000 with a degree in accounting.
Dorothy Isaac (D), 52, has spent much of her professional career in retail. She currently serves as a sales clerk at Tuesday Morning and formerly as a department manager at Walmart. But her passion is community activism, which includes another unique perspective on a circuit clerk-related duty.
“I”ve been going out to get people registered to vote since I was 9 years old. I worked with Dr. D.L. Conner,” she said.
Glenn Hamilton (R), 55, is a former two-term state senator and former chairman of the Mississippi State Parole Board. He”s also served as marketing director for the state”s Agriculture and Commerce Department and spent a short time with the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
He worked with circuit clerks from all 82 counties during his time on the parole board, as well as circuit court judges, district attorneys, investigators and the governor.
–Coroner
(D) Michael R. Hunt
(R) Billy L. Miller
–Tax Assessor/Collector
(D) Debbie Carrithers
(D) Velisia “Lisa” Wynn
(D) JoHelen “Joey” Walker
(R) Allen Morgan
–Supervisor District 1
(D) Carl Clady
(D) Alander Neal
(D) Donald P “Don” Nash
(R) Willie L. Thompson, Jr.
(R) John Pate Montgomery, Jr.
(R) Ed Whitehurst, Jr.
(R) John W. Scrivener
–Supervisor District 2
(D) Orlando Trainer
(D) Tremell O. Sherman
(D) Alfreda Outlaw
(R) Bubba (Robert) Gray
–Supervisor District 3
(D) Marvell Howard
(R) Dennis “Denny” Daniels
(R) Bennye L. Perkins
–Supervisor District 4
(D) Daniel B. Jackson
(R) Bricklee Miller
–Supervisor District 5
(D) John L. Young
(D) Shelia Lane
(D) Rahman R. Ali
(D) Keith Thompson
(D) Sammie J. Beckum
(D) Joe L. Williams
–Justice Court Judge District 3
(D) James “Jim” Mills
(R) Buddy Johnson
(I) Randall McClelland
–Constable District 1
(D) Curtis White
(D) William H. Ford
(D) Joe Morse
(R) Shank Phelps
(R) Tom Roberson
(R) David Starsky
–Constable District 2
(D) Curtis D. Randle
(R) Tim Cook
Unopposed
–County Attorney
(R) Roy E. Carpenter
–Chancery Clerk
(D) Monica Banks
–Constable District 3
(D) James Lindsey
–County Superintendent of Education
(D) James D. Covington, Jr.
–Surveyor
(D)Tom L. Gregory
–Justice Court District 1
(D) William Anton “Tony” Boykin
–Justice Court District 2
(D) W Bernard Crump
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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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
